A Samurai Christmas
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: As a reward for their efforts in the war, the Samurai and their families come together for Christmas before they all move on. Old friends reunite as the last generation of Samurai join the party.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **As promised, continuing with my Christmas story for the Samurai crew, continuing from where we left them. Hope you all enjoy it.

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – may be some mild adult themes in places.

The Majestic Grouse Hotel, a little way outside Panorama City was preparing for their arrivals. Normally, so close to Christmas, they didn't do much business. Businesses were closing for Christmas, so the corporate clients tended to stop coming, and most people went home for the holidays. Many years, they had actually closed for the holidays, having no guests at all, other times they would have only a handful. This year, they had quite a few. It was still nowhere near capacity, but a lot more than they generally expected.

The whole hotel had been booked for a single private party, namely the Rangers and their families. It was a thank you for their efforts, but the real driving force behind the decision had been Lauren's observations of the difficulties they faced deciding where to spend their holidays. They all wanted to go home, to see their families naturally, most of them hadn't seen their families in two years, but the situation was complicated by the relationships that had formed. Arguments about exactly WHICH family they went to for which holiday, together with the fact that after so long together they also wanted to be together had erupted a few times. In the end, it made sense to Lauren to just have everyone come to one place.

They were thankful, at least, that Lauren had stopped coming by on a daily basis. Such was her desperation to have a perfect Christmas for everyone, that she came by all the time with fresh ideas and changed all the plans seemingly at random. Now, they at least seemed to be able to have the hotel set up, without needing to worry about her completely changing everything yet again.

The first arrival came, rolling up to the front door in a cab. Getting out, a small, Asian man got out of the back, as a bell hop came over to unload the luggage onto a cart. He was quite an unassuming looking man, around his fifties, with dark hair, which was greying slightly, and glasses. He was wearing a bright red sweater, depicting a snowman, clearly a seasonal item he had been given by some well-meaning relative. He opened the trunk, and pulled out a wheelchair, unfolding it as the bell hop got to him.

"Can I take the name?" He asked.

"Grant and Sadie Watanabe." He answered, slipping the young man a twenty dollar bill. He loaded up the cases, and took them to reception to begin the checking in procedure as Grant went to the other side of the car with the wheelchair to help his wife.

Sadie Watanabe, Mia and Terry's mother, and the previous Pink Samurai, was quite an attractive woman. She had long, shiny black hair that extended some way down her back. She was wearing a black jacket, trimmed in white, fake fur, light blue denims and black, leather boots. Her legs were quite thin, compared to the rest of her body, having atrophied as a result of her disability. Everyone who had answered the call to battle had been left with permanent reminders, in her case; it was two shattered vertebrae, which had left her paraplegic. Bracing herself, she lifted herself onto the wheelchair, as she had done many times, positioning her feet on the footrests, before turning and making her way to the access ramp.

Just like her daughter, she was a strong-willed and stubborn woman. Even after she had heard the news that she would never walk again, she had refused to be a victim. Over the years, she had plenty of practice, but she had insisted on learning to be able to fend for herself. She was never going to be a burden to her family, no matter how much her husband had assured her he would help her.

Making their way into the lobby, Sadie located the desk, and made her way over, finding a young woman wearing a Santa hat and a blazer waiting for her. The Bell Hop had the cart, loaded with their luggage by the desk, and was waiting.

"Mrs Watanabe, welcome to the Majestic Grouse Hotel, would you mind signing here please?"

Sadie took the registration card from the desk, and a pen, and quickly signed it. She looked up to the receptionist.

"Has the rest of the party arrived?" She asked.

"Not yet, you're the first arrival." The receptionist answered. "We've got you an accessible room, close to the elevator on the first floor. The Bell Hop will just..."

"Sadie!" She heard a voice calling out. Sadie's face lit up, and she turned her chair around, seeing a blonde woman, wearing a long, tan winter coat running towards her, dropping her case, almost crippling the man she was with as it landed on his foot.

Ava, Emily and Serena's mother, and the former Yellow Samurai, was a reasonably short woman, only around 5' 4", and had pale skin, much like her daughters. The years had been kind to her for the most part. While she, like the others, had her fair share of sleepless nights after their war, for the most part she had escaped with only a few minor scars that her clothing generally concealed. She had a bright smile on her face as she approached the woman that for their time at the Shiba House, had been her best friend.

"Ava! It's been too long!" Sadie answered as the two embraced. They were old friends, and it had been a long time since they had seen each other. As she parted, she looked to her friend with a huge grin on her face. "You look beautiful! You've hardly aged a day!"

"You lie divinely." She answered. "But you look amazing; you always knew how to put an outfit together."

"I see some things never change." She chuckled as the man came limping over to join them, carrying Ava's discarded case. Ava looked apologetic as her husband came, realising she must have done it. "Martin, it's a pleasure."

"Likewise." He answered, shaking her hand, and turning to Grant, greeting him too. "Well, I'll get us checked in and let you get reacquainted."

"Would you mind taking the luggage up?" Sadie asked the Bell Hop. The young man had already been tipped, so he just dutifully took the cart away. Sadie turned her chair, gesturing towards the bar. "Come on, you just have to tell me what you've been up to!"

As he checked in, Martin couldn't help smiling, even despite his throbbing foot. He was a tall, powerfully built man, the result of years of hard work on the farm. He had a handsome, chiselled face, which he allowed just a little light brown stubble to grow on, and he had short, soft, brown hair. He loved seeing the way his wife lit up at the thought of seeing all her old friends again.

"Godfrey." He told the receptionist as he handed a tip to another Bell Hop, intending him to take their luggage up to the room so he could join the others once they were signed in. "Martin and Ava Godfrey to check in."

On the road, a little way from the hotel, Jayden was driving the Samurai SUV. Lauren was in the passenger seat. Brenda had assured them she'd come along later, but she wanted more time with Ji before she came to the hotel.

Lauren was noticeably energetic, the excitement getting the better of her. Even the fact that her new 'sister' Terri had said hello to her by peeing on her only a couple of hours previously couldn't dampen her excitement.

"We're not far now." He assured her, pointing to the sat nav. "It shouldn't be long."

"I just...I really can't wait to see everyone." She responded. Being a couple of years older, she had more memories of the parents' time in the Shiba House, and was looking forward to seeing them. If anything, she had spent more time with them than her own team, and although it had been fifteen years, she was hopeful that they would remember her fondly.

"Lauren, if you get any more excited, you'll bounce right out the sunroof." He teased her. "Just try to relax a little. We'll..."

"Pull over!" Lauren called out to him. She pointed to the side of the road, where a wood-panelled station wagon was on the side of the road. The hood was up, and steam was coming from it, indicating something was seriously wrong. The owner was pacing back and forth, his cell phone at his ear, talking in an agitated and animated manner, clearly angry about his misfortune to break down. Jayden did as he was told, bringing the SUV to a halt a little way from the stricken vehicle, and putting on the warning lights. Lauren was quickly out of the vehicle, running over.

"I pay hundreds of dollars a month for this damned service, when can I expect...another hour?" He yelled as he continued to flail wildly. "Well, I'll tell you what, when the breakdown truck finally decides to grace me with his presence, maybe I'll tell him to take back your card, and stick it up your ass!"

He hung up the phone, before growling asshole. Lauren sniggered a little.

"Parry Barnes, as diplomatic and even-tempered as always." She remarked. The man just looked at her, about to say something when he realised that she knew his name, and realising who she was.

Parry Barnes, the former Green Samurai, Mike's dad, was quite a big man, considerably taller and broader than his son, and muscular with it. He had dark skin, and a thick, black moustache. He was wearing a dark green padded jacket and jeans. It took him a moment, but eventually he smiled as he realised who Lauren was.

"No...way!" He breathed. "Lauren? Jayden?"

"It's great to see you again." Lauren answered. He opened his arms as he approached her, but she held up her hands.

"I...wouldn't recommend that." She told him. "At least, not until we get to the hotel and I can change. My new sister peed on me earlier."

"Sister?" He asked, looking between Jayden and Lauren. He remembered from his time at the house, their mother had already passed before he got there, and he was there on the night their father died. Unless he had missed something, he was curious as to how exactly they had a younger sister.

"It's Ji's baby." Jayden explained, seeing Parry's expression. "He's looked after me so long, I kind of think of him as a dad."

"Of course." Parry answered, smacking himself in the forehead.

"So, would you like a ride to the hotel?" Lauren asked him. "It doesn't look like your car's going anywhere...well...maybe ever."

"The damn thing's almost as old as I am." He agreed, kicking it in frustration. "I just never got round to replacing it. It's my own fault I suppose."

"Well, we'll get you to the hotel." Jayden assured him, gesturing to the SUV. Parry just shrugged, making his hand into a gun-shape, and pretended to shoot the car.

"It's a piece of crap anyway. They'll probably just take it to the scrap yard." He answered as he headed for the SUV. "So tell me, how is Ji adapting to fatherhood?"

Back at the hotel, Sadie, Grant, Martin and Ava were sitting in the bar. Sadie and Ava laughed as they recalled their days in the Shiba House and caught up on what they had been doing since then.

"Wow, I think I just had a flashback." They heard someone announce. They turned to see a dark-skinned man and his wife enter the bar. "I could hear you all the way out in reception."

"Oh give us a break, how often do we get together like this?" Ava chastised him, waving their former Blue Ranger over. "Why don't you just loosen up and join us? It is supposed to be a party."

Baron Chambers, Kevin's father, was a tall man, with a build that was born from years of training. Like his son, he had been involved in competitive swimming, as well as his Samurai training. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, and black suit pants, with shoes shined to a mirror finish. In his right hand, he had a shiny black cane, with the handle made of silver, fashioned into a dragon. As he approached, he had a noticeable limp, his own little souvenir of his battles. As he approached, he leaned down, kissing Ava's cheek, and then Sadie's, before easing himself into a chair.

"Well, if I couldn't get you two to keep it quiet fifteen years ago, I doubt I'll be able to now." He answered with a little laugh. "I guess this must be Grant and Martin."

"Since my husband seems to have forgotten, I guess I'll introduce myself." His wife stated, taking a seat and extending a hand. "I'm Michelle."

Michelle was a slender, well-dressed woman, wearing a classic black suit with a white blouse. She had her hair styled into a bob style. The others all shook her hand, greeting her.

"So, that's almost all of us." Baron commented. "No doubt Parry's gotten himself into trouble somewhere along the way."

"Well, we are waiting on the kids." Ava reminded him.

"Well, I'm certainly looking forward to that." Baron answered, looking over to Sadie. "After all, we're going to be family soon enough."

"Don't remind me." Sadie laughed in response. "I still couldn't believe it when Mia called to tell me about the engagement. Still, if Kevin's anything like you, I'm sure he's a perfect gentleman."

"Well, while we wait for our kids to get here, I say we have a toast." Ava chipped in, as a waiter arrived with glasses of champagne for them. Baron stood up, taking a glass, and raised it as the others followed suit. Just like the old days, when their Red Ranger, Jayden and Lauren's father wasn't there, he assumed the mantle of leadership.

"Wait, hold on a minute!" Sadie interrupted as she saw some new arrivals. They all smiled as Jayden, Lauren and Parry arrived. The former Green Ranger just shook his head.

"Jeez, a guy has a little car trouble, and you go ahead and start without him." He admonished Baron, picking up the old dynamic they had in their day. Baron just sighed.

"Well, if we waited for you, we'd never have gotten anything done." He said sarcastically. Jayden, Lauren and Parry were all given glasses of champagne. "Well Lauren..."

"No, you do the honours." She told him. Baron raised his glass again.

"To old friends." He announced, looking to Lauren and Jayden. "The ones who made it, and the ones who are no longer among us."

"To old friends." Jayden responded, appreciative of the gesture.

"To old friends." They all chorused, clinking their glasses together. It may have been fifteen years since they had all been in one place at the same time, but with some bonds, time was meaningless.


	2. Samurai Reunion

The mini-bus finally arrived at the hotel, and the cheers and laughter could be heard all the way from the lobby as the Rangers finally reached their destination.

There had been a few tears at the beginning of their journey, when they first left the Shiba House. Given the time frame, they had just left the house for the last time. By the time they left the hotel, they would be going their separate ways to begin their new lives. They all knew they would be in the city, or at least close enough that they would stay in contact, but having lived together for so long, they knew they would miss seeing each other every day.

The tears had since subsided though, as they became excited over Lauren's party. She had arranged for their families to come to the hotel, so that they would all be together for Christmas. It was an exciting prospect for all of them. For most, they hadn't seen their families in two long years. There was so much they wanted to catch up on. Many of them would be meeting their future in-laws for the first time, and of course, they also had their future plans to discuss. All in, they were all grateful for the fact Lauren had booked out the hotel, since it not only meant that they had room for everyone to be together, it also gave everyone maximum time with their families, since they didn't have to worry about things like catering or cleaning.

Mike and Emily were the first ones out of the coach, virtually bouncing with excitement. They were always the most excitable around the holidays anyway, but more than any of them, they were elated at the prospect of the party.

"Would you two calm down?" Serena giggled as she grabbed her sister, trying to restrain her.

"We don't even know if our parents are here yet." Kevin reminded them, straightening out his shirt for seemingly the millionth time. Mia held his hand, fidgeting nervously. Both of them had opted to dress rather formally, and while they were excited about the party, both of them were more noticeably nervous. Kevin especially couldn't stand still, being nervous about meeting his future in-laws. Mia had only told her parents about the engagement over the phone because of the no-contact clause. The prospect of meeting his future in-laws had Kevin in a full-blown stress over ensuring he made a good first impression.

"They're here." Jayden answered as he and Lauren came out of the hotel to meet them. "They're in the bar getting reacquainted."

"They're here? They're really here?" Emily squealed. "Come on Mike we..."

"Whoa there squirt." Serena chuckled, holding her back. "We still have to check in remember?"

"Aw...but..."

"It'll only take a moment." Jayden assured them as some bell hops came to collect their luggage. "The rooms are all pre-allocated, and the bell staff will take your bags up. All you need to do is sign your registration cards."

They headed through into the lobby, finding the desk, where the receptionist got their registration cards ready. She started looking them out.

"Mike Barnes and Emily Godfrey?" She asked.

"That's us." Mike announced as he and Emily stepped forward, accepting their registration card and a pen.

"Kevin Chambers and Mia Watanabe?" The receptionist continued. Kevin took the card and a pen, taking Mia aside to sign it.

"Serena Godfrey." They called out next, at which Serena stepped forward. "And finally, Terry Watanabe."

Terry signed into his room, at which Emily just raised an eyebrow. She looked to Serena a little curiously.

"Um...Serena, why are you signing into different...?"

"Hey mom!" Serena called out, silencing her sister as Ava came back into the lobby, in search of a bathroom. Seeing her girls, she ran over, being joined quickly by Emily and Serena. They all collided in a massive hug, hitting each other so quickly; it looked more like something that wouldn't be out of place on a football field. Kevin just leaned over to Mike, and smiled.

"I guess the tackle-hug is a family trait." He told him. Mike smoothed down his hair as much as he could, and headed over to join them.

"Serena, Emily, it's so good to see you again! Here, let me take a better look at you!" She gushed, standing and inspecting her daughters thoughtfully. "Your dad will be so thrilled to see you both."

"Um...Mrs Godfrey?" Mike announced as he stepped forward, offering her a handshake. Ava took his hand, shaking it gently.

"Mom, this is Mike." She introduced him. Ava took a long look at Mike and smiled.

"Oh, you're...you're Parry's boy." She said, still smiling as she seemed to be sizing him up. "I think you've done well for yourself there Emily, he's a cute one."

"Uh...thanks." Mike responded. "You look really great tonight. Lauren's told us a lot about you."

"Only the good stuff I hope." Ava chuckled as she put an arm around each of her girls. "All of you, head on through please. We're all just having a little drink before we head for dinner. I'll be there in a little bit."

As they started to head through to the bar, while Ava visited the bathroom, Jayden noticed that Antonio was hanging back a little. He came across, looking to him sympathetically.

"Antonio, come on." Jayden told him. "It'll be fun."

"I'm sure it will be." He sighed. Jayden knew what the issue was. Although Antonio loved the thought of spending the holidays with his friends, by the time the final battle was done, and Antonio contacted his father, he had already made plans. He was in Alaska on a fishing trip that he had intended to take in for years. It was unfortunate timing, and he couldn't exactly ask him to give up the trip of a lifetime. Jayden just patted him on the shoulder.

"I know you wish he was here." Jayden said quietly. "At least we're all still here."

"Yeah, I know." Antonio sighed. "Look, I'm stoked about this. Really I am. I guess I just miss him."

"We'll invite him over soon." Jayden assured him. "I'm sure once he's back from Alaska, he'll be more than happy to come and visit."

Antonio hugged him, taking comfort in his arms. He missed his father dreadfully, and he wanted him to be there, but he had the next best thing. The rest of his family was there. As he parted from Jayden a little and kissed him, they didn't notice Baron heading through the hall, also in search of a bathroom. He paused as he saw them, and stumbled a little, losing his grip on his cane. They only became aware of him as they heard the cane rattle on the floor.

"Mr Chambers." Jayden stated as he came over, bending down to pick up the cane. He reached out, handing it back to him.

"I'm sorry, I..." He stammered as he steadied himself on a chair. "I just...I guess the floor was a little slippery."

"Oh, Antonio, this is Baron Chambers, Kevin's dad." Jayden introduced him, guiding Antonio towards him. "He was the Blue Ranger on my dad's team. Mr Chambers, this is Antonio. He was the first Gold Ranger."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Antonio said, extending a hand. Baron stood, looking at his hand for a while, before eventually reaching forward, taking Antonio's hand, shaking it.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Baron replied, gesturing to the bathroom. "Um...well...I should really be going. I'll meet you both in there?"

"Of course." Jayden answered with a smile. As Baron left, heading for the bathroom, Jayden was about to head to the bar, but Antonio stopped him. Jayden just looked to him.

"Antonio?" He asked. "What is it?"

"Did you see that?" Antonio asked him. Jayden just shrugged.

"He was on his way to the bathroom." Jayden answered. Antonio just looked at him.

"Not that, I mean the way he was with me." Antonio clarified as he came closer. "Do you think...?"

"Antonio, I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, sure, this might have been a bit of a surprise for him, he hasn't seen me since I was six." Jayden reminded him. "He did just walk in on the floor show. At least the others had a little while to get used to it."

Antonio didn't seem convinced, but he really didn't want to cause a scene. He just nodded in the direction of the bar.

"I guess the others will be waiting." Antonio stated. "How about we order a couple of Bloody Marys?"

"I think that sounds great." Jayden answered as they left.

In the bar, Mia found her mom and dad, bringing Kevin with her. Kevin couldn't stop fidgeting as she brought him over.

"_Mom, dad, I really missed you!_" She began, hugging them both tightly. She had told Kevin that in her household, they had tended to use Japanese as their first language, and often spoke it among themselves. Everyone in the Watanabe household was fluent in both English and Japanese, but by habit, they usually spoke Japanese to each other.

"_You look amazing sweetheart._" Grant complimented her.

"Mom, dad, this is Kevin." She introduced him, guiding Kevin forward as he started to shiver a little. "Kevin, this is my parents."

"_Mr Watanabe, I am pleased and honoured to meet you._" Kevin began, shaking Grant's hand. He took Sadie's hand, kissing it softly. "_Mrs Watanabe, I can see where your daughter gets her beauty from. I would love to get to know you both better, and hope to be welcomed into your family._"

"Wow, your...your Japanese is excellent." Sadie commented, retrieving her hand from him. "Not to mention you really are a charmer."

"Please, come and have a drink with us." Grant invited him. Kevin smiled as he accepted a glass of champagne.

"There's no need to be so nervous. I've known Baron for years. I'm certain you'll take good care of our little angel." Sadie assured him. "Speaking of which, I'm sure Michelle is around here somewhere, and Baron just stepped out to the bathroom."

"I'm sure the waiters will allow us to sit together." Grant told him. "I think we have quite a bit to discuss."

Kevin was relieved that his introduction had gone so well. He raised his glass, indicating that he wanted to propose a toast. He said something in Japanese, only to see the expressions on their faces change. For a long moment, his heart froze. It took him a moment to realise what he had said. Eventually though, they just laughed.

"Um...I didn't mean...uh..."

"Well, you almost made it." Mia chuckled, finding it adorable how nervous he was. "It's adorable that you tried."

"I guess my Japanese gets a little mixed up when I'm nervous." He answered as he reached forward. "Um...how about we just forget that part and say cheers instead?"

"Cheers." Sadie and Grant chorused, touching their glasses together.

In another area, Mike was talking with his dad, when Emily came over. He smiled as he put his arm around her.

Ava watched from a corner as Emily introduced herself to Mike's dad, smiling as she thought about it. Her youngest daughter had grown so much, she almost couldn't recognise her. She had left them her little girl, and come back to them a confident, beautiful young woman. She almost didn't notice as Grant came across on his way to the bar.

"Ava, would you like another glass before we head up to the dining room?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"It's alright; I'm good for the moment." She answered, seeing Terry with him. She knew a little bit about the rift that had occurred in Terry's family. Although Terry had proven himself to them, and they had accepted him back in the family, it was obvious that there was still a little bit of distance between him and his father. They had since accepted that there had been a misunderstanding, but when all was said and done, a lot of things had been said that couldn't be unsaid. It was slow going getting things back to the way they were. "Terry, I heard you're going back to medical school soon."

"Well, at the beginning of term, but until then I have some work lined up." Terry told her. "Not to mention a few gigs. The band's got a really big show coming up. We're opening for Kira Ford!"

"Wow, that's really great!" She answered. "Serena, did you hear that? You're going to be staying with a real pop star!"

"I know mom, it's great." Serena told her. "He's already promised me an autograph."

"It's really good of you to let Serena stay with you." Ava stated. "I'd really have hated the idea of her having to find an apartment on her own or staying with some stranger. Isn't it great Grant?"

"Of course, it's always good to room with friends." He answered. Serena just forced a smile. Terry did the same. They didn't realise that Emily was nearby and had heard. She ran over to Mike, and took him aside. Once he excused himself from his conversation, he looked to Emily.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Mike, do you want to have a little fun?" She asked. Mike just furrowed his brows.

"Em...our folks are just over..."

"No, not like that!" Emily giggled. "I just overheard something really interesting."

"What?" Mike asked her.

"I know why Serena and Terry signed into different rooms." She whispered with a mischievous grin. "My parents and Mia's all think she's just going to stay with Terry."

"Yeah so?" Mike asked her.

"Mom was just going on about how great it is she'll be staying with a friend." Emily told him. Mike's face split into a grin as the penny dropped.

"Terry and Serena haven't told them yet." He surmised. Emily just nodded. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun with that."

Meanwhile, Antonio was in a corner, sitting at a table with Jayden, quietly sipping a drink. He couldn't help glancing over to where Baron was with his son, and his wife, talking to Mia. Jayden noticed his gaze, and just sighed.

"Look, I'm sure it was nothing." Jayden repeated. "I'm sure it was just a surprise. I mean, I'm sure in the few times he was allowed to contact his dad my love life was hardly the most pressing of things for him to talk about."

"It's just...I've seen stuff like this before." He explained. "I've been out a lot longer than you."

"Antonio, I'm sure it was nothing." Jayden answered.

Just then, Jayden looked up and smiled.

"I'll tell you what; I bet there's something that'll take your mind off it." He stated. "Look over to the door."

As Antonio looked up, his smile lit up the room.

"Dad!" He called out excitedly, running across. Mr Garcia was a large man, a little rotund, with weathered skin that betrayed the climate in Alaska. Antonio grabbed him in a tight hug. "I didn't...you were...I..."

"Alaska will still be there next year." Mr Garcia chuckled as he released his son. "Jayden here was kind enough to arrange for a plane ticket to be delivered. I checked in just a few minutes ago."

"Mr Garcia, it's been a long time." Jayden said with a smile as he shook his hand. Mr Garcia just shook his head.

"I don't think Mr Garcia is necessary, call me Alano." He answered as he hugged Jayden. "Wow, I can't believe you're the little boy in the kimono that used to hang around my fish stand."

"Well, we've all grown and changed over the years." Jayden responded.

"Well, I'm really pleased my boy found someone that makes him so happy." Alano answered. "Wow, there are a lot of people here."

"I'll introduce you around!" Antonio announced excitedly, taking his dad by the hand. He dragged him into the room. "Hey Mike, Emily, meet my dad!"

As he took a long sip of his drink, Jayden couldn't help watching Antonio, thankful that he had managed to give him this surprise.

"Wow, that really made him happy." Lauren stated as she arrived, sitting next to her brother. Jayden just shrugged.

"I figured he deserved to have his dad here." Jayden told her. "This time's all about family right?"

"I guess it is." Lauren answered, putting her arm around her brother. "I have a feeling I'm really going to like Christmas."

"I have a feeling I'm going to like it too." Jayden answered.


	3. Baron's Hang Up

Dinner was a lively, and somewhat noisy affair for the team and their families. It was just as well that Lauren had booked out the whole place, because the size of the party, together with the frequent movement between seats would no doubt have caused a considerable headache for the other guests, if there had been any.

There was much to talk about, and there was no shortage of conversation to be had. The Samurai's parents all had a lot to catch up on. While they had kept in contact, just in case they were ever needed to serve the Shiba again, they very rarely saw each other. They certainly had never all been in the same place at the same time since the day they had left the Shiba House. For a while, there was too much to do, recovering from injuries, both physical and otherwise. Afterwards, there were things to do to adjust to their lives. Between reconnecting with the children they had left behind, and in some cases, more practical things to get used to such as lasting injuries, Sadie in particular having to learn to adjust to life without the ability to walk, time just passed. Soon, years had gone by and they had their own priorities to worry about, most notably preparing their own children for the day they would be called.

Then, there were the families re-connecting and catching up. After two long years, the kids had a lot they wanted to talk to their parents about. Sharing their own adventures, talking about all they had learned, how they had grown, and most importantly, their plans for the future. Between sorting out homes, college courses, jobs and their intentions for what they planned to do with their lives now their duty was at an end for the foreseeable future.

There was also the issue of the families now connecting and coming together. Unlike in their parents' day, when the whole team already had partners and had their kids, the most recent team had been called much younger. Romances had blossomed, and there were at least two weddings now to look forward to. The new families had to adjust to the idea that they would now be more than friends, but family, and expected to have a lot more involvement in each others' lives in the future.

Lauren and Jayden were talking with Antonio and his dad Alano, while some staff cleared away the rest of the dishes. Jayden had known Mr Garcia before, but there were now a couple of minor differences. The first was that now Jayden was no longer the little kid that Antonio used to sneak off to play with. He was an adult, and that meant that they had to have a different relationship. The other was that he and Antonio were no longer merely friends. It was a little easier to navigate since Alano had known for some time that Antonio was gay, but that didn't mean that having his son introduce him to a partner was any different than any other parent accepting someone new in their child's life. It meant that once again, he had to have a different relationship with Alano, as they learned what it would mean to be family.

Lauren loved seeing the scenes unfolding. It caused her untold joy to see everyone coming together, and she once again was grateful that she had arranged all of this. She felt something she never had over the years, but after a while, it all started to become a little much. She really wasn't too comfortable having too many people around at the same time. For much of her life, she had been used to being in a household of maybe half a dozen at most at any one time. She found herself growing closer to everyone, and she really wanted to be with them, but there were still times that she just needed a little breathing space.

She went out of the restaurant, finding, the events' planner directing the staff. She saw Lauren, and the Red Ranger could almost feel her impatience flaring. She had come to realise that her desperation to make everything perfect had to have been more than a little wearing.

"Lauren, can I...?"

"Did you make the arrangements I asked?" Lauren asked her. She just nodded, gesturing her into the main meeting hall.

Lauren followed her, looking around as they went in. The main meeting hall had been set up for the following morning. Tables were decked out with white table cloths, and simple set-pieces, filled with Christmas crackers and party poppers. There was a large tree, decorated and placed in the centre, with a huge pile of gifts placed carefully underneath. Lauren went over, reaching to the first package, stroking the shiny paper it was wrapped in.

"So...is there anything...?"

"Did you leave what I asked?" Lauren asked her. She just nodded.

"The large screen TV is in the side-room next door, ready for the Midnight Mass." She continued. "There's plenty of clean linen in room four down the hall, and the chefs have prepared all your meals. They're in the walk-in fridge in the events' kitchen, and just need heating."

"Then I guess, we shouldn't need anything more." Lauren answered gratefully. This was the last thing that she had arranged for her family. She had arranged that things were left for them to fend for themselves, so that the staff could go home. By policy, there would be at least two staff in the building at all times for insurance purposes, but they had been instructed to leave the team and their families to their own devices for the sake of privacy. Lauren knew that there were certain things that they just wouldn't be able to discuss, or do while others were around. As a way to allow them all to relax, she had arranged it so they would effectively have the place to themselves. On the understanding that they left the place in a reasonable state, the staff could go home for the holidays as well, and leave the Samurai in peace. "I'd really like to thank you all. I know I've been a real pain in the ass..."

"No, it's not..."

"Please, I can call a spade a spade." Lauren told them. "Please, all gather around. I know I've been a little hard to take, and I'm sorry about that. I just hope this repays you all for your hard work."

Lauren handed the events' planner an envelope. She opened it, and gasped loudly.

"Lauren..."

"Each of you has a gift hamper to collect from the gourmet store in the mall." Lauren told them. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." They all chorused in response. As they all started to file out, able to head home for the holidays, they each stopped by Lauren to say a personal thank you.

As the last of them left, she looked around for the last thing she had arranged. A crate had been delivered, and left in the room, under strict instructions it was not to be opened for any reason. She laid her hand on the side.

"According to Antonio, you guys should be able to come out for a little while." She said with a little smile. "You all served us so well, it's only right you all get to celebrate too."

"Is that what I think it is?" Baron asked, causing Lauren to jump with a start. She held a hand over her heart, which was jumping in her chest.

"God Baron, you gave me a heart attack." She commented. Baron came over, resting his cane against a chair as he rested a hand on the crate.

"Well, is it?" He asked. Lauren nodded.

"Antonio's been working hard repairing the Zords." Lauren told him. "They all made it through thanks to him."

"Antonio huh?" Baron said as he retrieved his cane. Lauren couldn't help detecting a little tone in his voice as he heard Antonio's name mentioned.

"He's done a lot for us." Lauren informed him. "If it wasn't for him, we'd never have made it through the war. The Zords would certainly never have survived."

"I guess I'm having a little trouble adjusting to the idea of a new Samurai family." Baron remarked. Lauren could see that something seemed to be bothering him.

"Baron, is something wrong?" She asked him. He just shifted a little uneasily.

"I..." He struggled to find a way to say what was on his mind, but looking to Lauren, all he could see was her father, and his sense of duty overcame him. It wasn't his place to speak about a member of her team in front of her. He just patted the crate. "I suppose I'm just looking forward to seeing the Dragon again. It's been so long since I gave him to Kevin, I don't know if he'll even remember me."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Lauren answered, hooking her arm with his as he started to head back to the party. "Things change, but some things never do. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see his old master."

The following morning, Lauren made her way to the gym, heading past the pool as she went. Baron and Kevin were already there. Baron was sitting at the edge of the pool with a stopwatch in his hand, timing Kevin's laps. Lauren knew that Kevin had gone back to his training for the Olympics, and even though it was the holidays, he couldn't afford to rest too much. Time was already against him in some respects, he would be 26, almost 27 by the time the Rio games came around. If he was going to make it, he had a lot of work to do.

"Not bad son." Baron complimented him. "You haven't been training for two years, but your lap times haven't slipped too much."

"They've still slipped though." Kevin grumbled as he pulled himself out of the pool. He saw Lauren and nodded in her direction. "Lauren, how are you?"

"I'm good." Lauren replied. "I just wanted to get in a quick workout before the others get up."

"Alright Kevin, it's time for your cool down." Baron told him. "Hit the spa pool, and then get dressed. I'll see about breakfast."

"Alright dad." Kevin answered.

"Oh, and Kevin..." He pulled a bit closer, whispering. "At least put on a robe, she is your Shogun."

"What was that about?" Lauren asked him. Kevin just shrugged.

"He was telling me I should wear a robe in front of you." Kevin told her. "He reminded me that you're my Shogun."

"Kevin, when was the last time I even used that title?" She asked him. "Sure...the speedo I could live without, but that's more because I'm just getting really bad visuals of you and Mia."

"I'm sure by now you've all noticed, but my dad's a little set in his ways." Kevin answered as he started to dry himself off. Lauren knew that he was, remembering him from the first time in the house. He was always on Parry's case, about something that annoyed him, saying he wasn't training the right way, or living according to the code. Ava and Sadie had even heard some of his lectures, though for the most part tended to irritate him by ignoring him and ganging up on him when he seemed to get a little too much.

"Yeah, I remember." Lauren sighed. It was then that a thought occurred to her. She had noticed that Baron was a little off when the subject came around to Antonio. Throughout the remainder of that evening, she had noticed a few looks across the room, and seemed to come to the conclusion that Antonio had picked up on it. They had talked, but usually it was just a social pleasantry, asking to pass the salt or something of that nature.

"Um...Kevin, I just have to..." She stammered, before heading out of the pool area. Kevin just smiled and shook his head.

"Someone could make a career figuring out what's going on in that girl's head." He commented, before heading to the spa pool, starting it up. He lowered himself in with a satisfied breath as he felt the warm water easing his muscles.

"Oh, now this I definitely miss." He commented. "Hello old friend."

Lauren caught up with Baron in a hallway, finding him heading for the dining room. The others would be up soon, and he was sure they would be heading there for breakfast. Lauren called out to him, catching up.

"Lauren." He greeted her. "I thought you were..."

"I can work out later." She interrupted him. "Baron, if I ask you about something, can you answer me honestly?"

His smile slipped as she said this. He had a feeling that he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he didn't really want to discuss such matters in front of her. Of course, there was another issue at hand. Technically, she was the sitting Shogun. If she asked something of him, it was his duty to comply to the best of his ability.

"I...um...I..."

"Baron, do you have a problem with Antonio?" She asked him. "Speak candidly."

This had now gone further than he wanted it to. She had now given him a direct instruction. She had told him to answer her question, and to speak his mind. Despite the fact he knew it was going to lead to problems, he couldn't disobey her.

"I saw your brother and Antonio...I saw them kissing." He told her. Lauren just looked at him.

"Is that all?" She asked. He took a deep breath, preparing to explain.

"Antonio..."

"Antonio has done as much for this war, perhaps more than any of the other Samurai." She interrupted him. "We all owe him..."

"I know; I do not doubt his service or his ability." Baron started to say, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's just, Jayden..."

"Yes, my brother." Lauren reminded him. "He and Antonio are in a relationship."

Baron looked away as she said this. Lauren felt her temper flaring up.

"Is that it?" She asked him. "Do you have a problem with...?"

"No, it's nothing like that!" He blurted out, suddenly realising to his horror what she was getting at. "One of the guys on my swim team was gay. I won't deny that it took me a while to get used to it all, to get my head around it, but...he was one of my guys."

"And Jayden's my brother, and one of my guys!" Lauren told him. "So is Antonio!"

"Look, I won't deny it was a surprise." Baron continued. "But...I don't have a problem with people being gay."

"Just Antonio?" She asked. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Just Jayden." He admitted. Lauren crossed her arms as she waited for an explanation. "Look, I know it's wrong, it's just my issue, but I can't help...when I look at Jayden, I see him as John's boy. I remember him in the house, seeing John with him, and imagining the man he would grow up to be. I could see Kevin serving him the way I served John. I guess...I guess when I saw the ways Jayden was so similar to John..."

"Well, I'll give you a little heads up. Jayden is NOT JOHN!" Lauren put down flatly. "My dad is dead! He died fifteen years ago, and no matter how much any of us want that to be different, it never will be."

He looked completely apologetic as he heard her say this. It was something of a selfish fantasy, but back in the day, John had been such an important part of his life. He was devastated when he died in battle. It was a selfish desire, but he had hoped when he saw Jayden again as an adult, that he would be just like him.

"I guess I always hoped that John would live on in Jayden, and in you." Baron admitted.

"He does." Lauren assured him. "But I'm not my dad, and neither is Jayden. We take stuff from our dad, but we're our own people too. Maybe you should try getting to know those people."

She stepped a bit closer, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You should probably try getting to know Antonio too." She suggested. "After all, he's a pretty great guy in his own right, once you get to know him."

"I guess even after all these years I have a lot to learn from your family." Baron answered. "I'm sorry about this."

"Well, like I said, maybe you should just give them a chance." Lauren reiterated. "Come on, let's go and find them.

At that moment, in a side-room, Jayden and Antonio were waiting. They had sent word to Alano that they wanted to see him in private. Jayden was sitting, waiting as Antonio paced nervously.

"Would you calm down?" Jayden asked him.

"Where is he?" Antonio asked, checking his watch. "He should be here..."

"We only just sent him the message." Jayden reminded him. Just then, the door opened and Alano stepped in. "See, there he is now."

"Dad." Antonio greeted him. "Listen, there's something I wanted to talk to you..."

"I think I might know what this is about." He interrupted his son. He reached a hand to Jayden. "Congratulations. I can't imagine..."

"Wait...oh, no it's not that." Jayden answered, seeing what Alano was thinking. "I mean...we both want to at some point, but we've both agreed, we really want to get married here."

"But, they don't let..."

"We're going to campaign to get that legislation overturned." Jayden told him. "We don't see why we should have to go somewhere else to get married when our home is here. It might mean we wait a while, but this is important to us."

"Oh, well, that's great, and I'll support you all the way." Alano said as he tried to overcome his disappointment. "So...what did you have to talk to me about that was so important?"

"Dad, I know I haven't been in contact as much as you'd have liked." Antonio began. "I feel really bad about it, but until recently, I couldn't tell you why."

"Antonio..."

"It was really important. Your safety could have been in danger if I told you about this." Antonio continued. "We...we had something really important to do, and we couldn't risk any distractions. It's the reason why the others haven't been home in two years."

Antonio tried hard to think of a way to explain it, but opted instead for the best thing he could think of. Pulling out his morpher, he activated it.

"Samurai Ranger, Gold Power!" He called out. In a flash of light, he stood before his father in his Ranger uniform. He pulled off his helmet as he approached his dad.

"Dad, I'm so sorry I..."

"That was...that was even more amazing than I'd hoped!" He yelled out loud. Antonio and Jayden just looked at each other. "Son, that was just...SO much better than I'd, hoped for!"

"Dad?" Antonio asked. "You knew?"

Alano just sighed and gave them an unconvinced look.

"Do you really think I'd have missed a two foot long flying squid hanging around in your bedroom for fifteen years?" He asked. "Why do you think I paid for all those Martial Arts lessons you asked for?"

"Dad...I can't believe..."

"Hey, I was there for the last war remember?" He asked. "I kind of recognised the Octozord. It wasn't too hard to figure out who Jayden was from that. I just figured, if you had your heart set on joining him as a Ranger, I'd do what I could to help."

He approached Antonio, putting an arm around him.

"I knew you'd tell me when the time was right." He declared proudly, before giving him a slightly reprimanding look. "But I didn't expect to wait fifteen years."

"Wow, I guess we weren't as good at the whole secret thing as you thought." Antonio commented, hugging his dad. "I'm sorry, I really wanted to tell you, but anyone we knew would have been a target. I'd never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you."

"Well, nothing did." He reminded him. "And you ended up with the Red Ranger too!"

"Well, one of them anyway." Jayden reminded him. Alano just looked at Jayden with a little smirk.

"Look, I know you shouldn't abuse the powers and everything." He said a little excitedly. "But do you suppose you'd mind...?"

Jayden just pulled out his Samuraizer and smiled. He flipped it open.

"Go Go Samurai!"


	4. Mistletoe Fun

Mike woke up in his room, with Emily lying in his arms, looking at him lovingly.

"Good morning." She greeted him quietly. "Merry Christmas Eve Eve."

"Um...excuse me?" He asked her. She just sniggered.

"Merry Christmas Eve Eve." She reiterated. "The day before Christmas is Christmas Eve, so since I was a little kid, I always called the 23rd Christmas Eve Eve."

Mike just smiled in response. He had to remind himself constantly how lucky he was to have her. He loved every single thing about her. It was more than a little cute to him how, just like himself, the holiday season brought out the kid in her.

"Christmas Eve Eve?" He asked again, laughing a little. "I like it."

"Have you wrapped your presents yet?" She asked him.

"No, not yet." Mike answered as he held her closer. He saw the way she was looking at him. "Emily, there's a whole other day..."

"Mike, Lauren wants to have all the presents under the tree before midnight tomorrow." She reprimanded him.

"Well, we really can't put all the presents under the tree." Mike said a little cheekily, arching his eyebrow. "You kind of gave me mine last night."

Emily hit him playfully as he held her softly, turning away from him. Mike wanted this to last forever. This was what he had been dreaming about ever since Emily had first gotten together with him. This was where he wanted to be from now on, just him and Emily together, in each others' arms. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Mike, Emily!" Lauren called out. "Guys, wake up, we're having breakfast soon."

"Lauren, this is meant to be a holiday." Mike called back. "Can't we just get something later?"

"Guys, I think you really want to get up now." Lauren suggested. "We're putting on a demonstration. Baron and Parry kind of threw out a challenge last night; they said our parents would show us all how it's done, so we're putting on a demonstration later."

Mike looked to Emily and sighed. He could see the way she lit up. It had been a long time since she had trained with her mother, and she had never seen Baron or Parry in action. He knew that she loved the effect it had on her mother seeing the way she had brightened up since she had caught up with the other members of her team. He just shook his head.

"Can't we even wait a little...?"

"Breakfast in twenty minutes." Lauren interrupted him excitedly. "Jayden and Antonio are already bringing mats up from the gym, move it!"

Mike just looked to Emily as she started to stir to get up.

"Emily, do we have to get up right now?" He asked her.

"Mike, didn't you hear Lauren?" She asked him. "How can you not be excited about seeing...?"

"I'm really not going to win this am I?" He asked as got up, heading for the bathroom to shower. She just shook her head. He just sighed and got up, throwing off the covers.

"Alright then." He sighed. "I guess it would be cool seeing the folks in action again."

"Not to mention we still have to mess with Serena and Terry." Emily reminded him. Mike smiled at this thought. When they checked in at first, he and Emily had noticed that Serena and Terry were acting a little strangely. It was only once they learned that they had also booked into separate rooms, and seen how they acted around their respective parents that they had figured out that they hadn't yet told their parents about their relationship. Clearly they weren't sure how their parents would feel about them moving in together to attend college if they knew that they had only recently started dating.

"Now, that definitely sounds like fun." Mike conceded.

"Then after that, you can finally get around to wrapping all your presents!" Emily added, starting the water running to get it to temperature.

"Emily, I'll do it with Symbol Power on Christmas Eve, it'll take like two seconds!" Mike assured her.

"Mike, you can't do that!" Emily shrieked. "Christmas presents are all about how much you care about the people you give them to. You have to wrap them by hand, doing anything else is cheating!"

She then poked her head around the door frame.

"Well, are you coming?" Emily asked him. He just furrowed his brows. "Mike we only have about twenty minutes to shower and get dressed. This'll save some time."

Not needing to be told twice, Mike scrambled for the bathroom.

Later in the day, after breakfast, the Rangers pulled the tables to the sides of the room, while Jayden and Antonio put down the mats. When Parry had suggested that the previous team would put on a demonstration of their abilities, Jayden and Kevin had suggested that they make a day of it, and that they would show their parents what they were made of.

The Rangers watched as Ava, Baron and Parry performed astounding feats on the mat. While they had learned by watching Ji some time ago that age was not a huge barrier to ability, in a lot of ways it was still amazing to them to watch their parents. Of course, for most of them, they had been trained by their parents, but seeing the others as well just reinforced how much the previous generation had given them. Parry, much like his son, was quite an unorthodox and dynamic fighter, using his natural athleticism to create an unpredictable and exciting style to watch. Baron, exactly as they would expect from Kevin's father had an absolutely flawless technique, with every strike precise to the millimetre. In a particularly impressive display, he got Sadie to hold a melon in her outstretched palm, and cut it in half with a single strike, without so much as touching her hand.

Emily positively gushed as she watched her mother. She idolised her almost as much as she had idolised Serena growing up. Mike grimaced in pain as she clutched his arm tightly in excitement, seeing her mother shatter a breeze block with her bare hands.

After that, the Rangers returned the honour, demonstrating their own skills. They had trained every day, and although their skills had served them well, but this time it was different. There was a part of them, the part that used to take part in swim meets or football games or pageants that loved to perform for their parents. They all knew that their parents would have followed their battles as much as they could, but this was the first time since the war began and they left home that they were able to show their parents all they had learned, and how they had improved.

Once they were done, they went back to their parents, accepting hugs and congratulations from them. The whole thing was just exactly what they had hoped it would be. As he accepted a hug from his dad, Mike suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, how about some team sparring?" Mike suggested. "We can make a competition of it!"

"Mike..."

"Seriously, it would be really cool." Mike assured them. "I'll team with Emily. Who else is up for it?"

"I guess we're in." Kevin said as he and Mia looked to each other. "OK, it's not much of a tournament if..."

"What about it Parry?" Ava asked as she got up from her chair. "We can't let the kids have all the fun."

"I think I still have a few lessons for my boy." Parry chuckled, straightening up his jacket. "Alright, you're on."

"Alright, we need a fourth team." Antonio announced. "So..."

"How about Serena and Terry?" Emily interrupted abruptly.

"Emily..." Serena started to say.

"Yeah, that would be really cool." Mike added, seeing what his fiancée was thinking. "I mean, you might not have done much of the heavy lifting, but you were a big part of the team."

"Yeah, and I think the two of you would make a great team." Emily said a little mischievously. "Don't you agree?"

"Well...um..." Terry started to say, finding himself suddenly put on the spot.

"Definitely, we've all seen how buddy buddy they are." Mike interjected slyly. "Let's see how the new roomies work out as a team."

"Mike, I really don't feel like..."

"There's no reason why you wouldn't want to do this is there?" Emily teased them. "I mean, it is only a little friendly competition."

"Jayden, surely you and Lauren..."

"Actually, I have some presents to wrap." Jayden told them. "Lauren won't get off my case about it."

"And I was planning on doing a coffee run." Lauren added. "The coffee place will be closed after today, so I figured we may as well take advantage."

"Before that though, I was wondering if I could ask a little favour." Baron chipped in, as she started to take orders. He set his cane aside, stepping onto the mat and taking up a shinai, before pointing to Antonio. "My son told me a lot about your style, and seeing it today, I have to admit that I was impressed."

"Um...thanks." Antonio said a little uneasily. Baron just gestured to the mat.

"Look, I know I'm a little set in my ways, but I guess it just takes me a little longer to accept that just because things are different doesn't mean they're bad." He told him, subtly apologising for his behaviour. "Your style has a lot of strength behind it, and I would like it if you'd do me the great honour of sparring with me. Maybe this old dog can learn a few new tricks."

Antonio smiled a little, taking up his practice tanto, and stepped up to the mat, after seeing an approving little nod from Jayden. He knew that Baron's behaviour up until now had bothered him. Jayden had been young when Baron was in the house, but he remembered enough about him to know that even more than Kevin, he sometimes had difficulty with saying things. This was his way of apologising to Antonio and letting him into the group.

"I'd be honoured Mr Chambers." Antonio answered as he joined him on the mat. He held his two weapons, preparing for the first offence. "Alright, I'll go easy on..."

Baron, despite his hip injury though, moved far quicker than Antonio would have anticipated, knocking the two weapons from his hands, before bringing the blade to his throat. He smiled at Antonio.

"No need to hold back on my account." He assured him. Antonio just smiled in response.

"Be careful what you wish for." Antonio answered, retrieving his weapons. "Ready to go again?"

As they sat aside, watching on, Emily had a little smirk on her face. Serena sat next to her.

"OK, I know what you're doing." Serena told her. Emily gave her an innocent little look.

"I have no idea what you're..."

"You know damn fine what I'm talking about." Serena whispered under her breath. "I hope you think it's worth it once we're on that sparring mat."

The smile slipped from Emily's face as she heard this. Serena got up and walked away to warm up for when Baron and Antonio were finished.

"Oh crap." She muttered. "I so didn't think that through."

Lauren came into the coffee shop, finding Jeremy standing alone, juggling a couple of mugs. It was the last day the shop was open before Christmas, but since many had already finished their shopping, there wasn't that much in the way of business. In fact...he was completely alone in the shop. By the looks of things, he had already cleaned everything down, and was completely bored, hence the juggling. Hearing the bell, he looked around, catching two of the cups, while the third slipped through his grasp, shattering on the floor.

"Lauren!" He rushed out. "Oh...um...I..."

"Sorry I startled you." She giggled nervously. "It looks pretty quiet."

"Yeah, it's been pretty dead." He admitted, looking out a dustpan and brush. "In fact...I've only had one other customer the whole day, and since that was my roommate when he dropped me off, that doesn't really count."

"Well, I knew that this was the last day you were open, so I thought I'd get some decent coffee for everyone before you closed for the holiday." Lauren continued, making her way over to the counter. "So...here."

She passed over the list, at which Jeremy started to make up her order.

"I thought you were out of town for the season." Jeremy commented. She just nodded.

"We're all at the hotel." Lauren informed him. "I just...I don't know. I thought this would be nice."

"And renting out an entire hotel isn't nice enough?" He chuckled. "I wish I had you as a Secret Santa. Your family's really lucky to have you."

"Well, I don't know about that." Lauren told him. "I'm still pretty new to the whole family thing. We've been...kind of estranged for a while now. We only got back together pretty recently."

She shifted a little nervously as she realised that she had said more than she intended to.

"It's..."

"Complicated." Jeremy concluded. Lauren had to admit that she had used that word more than a few times describing her situation any time she talked to him. He just smiled. "You know, I find most people's lives are complicated. I can totally get the whole family thing. My dad and I haven't talked in a couple of years."

"Really?" Lauren asked him. "Why?"

"Let's just say that he doesn't think philosophy exactly opens the door to many lucrative career options." He explained. "I've been working here to pay my tuition, because dad refused to pay. He just doesn't get that this is something I really want to do."

"I'm sorry." Lauren said a little sympathetically. She had lost her father, but before he died, they had always been close. She couldn't imagine how much she would give for a chance to see him again, so she couldn't understand why anyone who still had the chance would intentionally push their family away.

"I'm still hopeful." Jeremy told her. "I'm a big believer that any rift can be healed eventually. Especially at this time of year, there's kind of a...magic about it." He continued, finishing off her order and making up the tray.

"So...I hope things go well for your family." He told her. As she leaned across the counter to pick up the tray, he stopped her. As he pointed up, she looked up and saw some mistletoe hanging overhead.

"Mistletoe?" She asked. He leaned across, gently pressing his lips to hers. Lauren felt her face growing incredibly warm as he did so. As he parted from her, he smiled.

"Merry Christmas." He whispered.

"Merry Christmas." She replied nervously, putting some money down on the counter and backing away, stumbling slightly. "Um...keep the change."

As she turned and left the shop, she felt her heart pounding and a huge smile on her face. There was magic at this time of year.

Back at the hotel, Emily was sitting in the bar, holding an ice-pack to her shoulder. Serena, exactly as she had promised, had gotten some measure of revenge. Martin came over to check on her.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" He asked his daughter. Emily just nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She assured him. "It's not like it's the first time I've been bruised up."

"I know, I just...you know I always hated to see you hurt." Martin recalled as he put his arm around her. "Do you remember the time you fell off the horse and broke your arm? I think I was more upset than you were."

"I remember." Emily answered as she hugged him. He looked up as he saw Mike approaching.

"Well, it looks like the new man in your life wants a little time with you." Martin said as he got to his feet, kissing the top of Emily's head. "I think your mother could use a little help with the wrapping."

"I thought you'd done that already." Emily commented.

"Well, we had, but then we realised we hadn't labelled the presents." He informed her. "So, we kind of have to do it all again."

"That sounds like mom." Emily giggled. "I'll see you at dinner."

Mike sat with Emily, and smiled, leaning back in his chair, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's done." He told her. "It should be..."

"Uh...Mike?" Emily cut him off, pointing towards Serena as she and Terry stormed over to them. Mike started looking for somewhere to hide, but finding nowhere to run, he just looked up to them in alarm.

"Serena..."

"What the hell? I thought you'd learned your lesson by now!" Serena hissed as she got closer, hoping no one would hear her.

"Serena, it was a joke..."

"What do you think Mom would say?" Serena asked her. "Don't you think I...we want to tell them?"

"It's bad enough that Serena's not going back to the farm. How much do you think your parents would like me if they found out?" Terry asked them.

"So...you're just going to pretend for the rest of your lives?" Mike asked him.

"No, of course not!" Serena snapped. "But we were going to tell them in our own time."

"We were planning on telling them after we had been living together a while." Terry told them. "We were just going to...you know...not be too exact with the details of exactly when it happened."

"In the meantime, we could really do without all the pranks!" Serena put down flatly. "I mean, the sparring idea was one thing, but the mistletoe?"

"Wait...pranks?" Mike asked in shock. "What pranks? All we did was the sparring thing."

"Give it a rest Mike, there's been mistletoe popping up all over the place!" Serena chastised him aggressively. "Everywhere we turn, usually always in front of either my parents or Terry's...who else do you know can do that?"

"Just give it a rest Mike." Terry warned him. "You remember how the last prank war turned out."

As they left, Emily just looked to Mike uneasily.

"Maybe we took this too far." Emily suggested. "Maybe we should lay off them now. We only meant to tease, but they seemed pretty upset."

"Emily, I didn't do anything. I don't know what she's talking about." Mike pleaded with her as she looked at him. "I've been spending the last couple of hours in our room wrapping Christmas presents."

"Mike..."

"Emily, I didn't do anything, I swear!" Mike reiterated. Emily just looked to him, seeing the look in his eyes. She could tell he was telling the truth.

"Wait, so if you didn't do it...who did?" She asked. At that moment, Parry came walking down the hall, tossing Mike his Samuraizer.

"You know, you really shouldn't leave that thing lying around." He told his son. Mike just looked up, his mouth hanging open in amazement. "They're really not that subtle. I've noticed the stolen moments."

"Dad!"

"Hey, your old man still knows how to work a Samuraizer, and they're still great for pranks." Parry told his son with a shrug, before turning and walking away. "Best fun I've had in years!"

Mike just looked to Emily a little apologetically.

"You think you have problems with your family?" He asked. "I think my dad's trying to get me skinned alive by my future sister-in-law."


	5. Terry's Gift

Christmas Eve arrived, and by now, everyone was getting really excited. Last minute preparations were being made for Christmas. Those that hadn't done so were spending time wrapping the last of their gifts, before bringing them to the main hall, to place them under the tree.

The presents everyone had bought for Ji, Brenda and the baby were piled on a table a little way from the tree. They intended to drop into the hospital later to visit, but they doubted that they had decided that bringing the presents would be impractical, and having them under the tree didn't make much sense since they wouldn't be there to open them. All things considered though, there was a respectable pile of gifts forming. With Jayden, Lauren, Kevin, Mike, Emily, Mia, Antonio, Serena and Terry from the current team, as well as Baron, Michelle, Parry, Ava, Martin, Sadie and Grant, that meant a total of sixteen people had gifts piled up for them.

Lauren was positively giddy, floating around the place on a high all day, even without the constant stream of sugary treats that were on offer. She was elated by the whole event. She felt like a little girl again; back when her father was still alive.

Back then, Christmas was a very special time for her. Since their mother had died shortly after Jayden was born, her father had always made a real effort with his children to fill the void left by her absence. Even when he had to battle Nighlock, and the others were at the house, he always made a real effort to spend time with his children. Christmas above all was his favourite holiday. There was no training, there was no talk of wars or Nighlock, that was a day he would just sit with his children from the moment they woke and opened their presents, to the moment exhaustion overtook them and he would have to carry them to their beds.

Over the years since she had been taken from the Shiba House, Christmas had meant less and less. Her attendants didn't encourage her to take time out from training, and in all honesty, there were some years she even forgot that it was Christmas, but this one was shaping up almost exactly as she had hoped. There was only one thing missing for her.

Looking to where Kevin and Mia helped their parents arrange presents under the tree, she couldn't help the feeling of longing swelling up on her. Kevin and Mia, Mike and Emily, even her brother had found something with Antonio that she didn't fully understand, but that she desperately longed for.

"Hey guys, I have for you, a Golden Christmas moment." Antonio announced.

"Hey, I thought red and white were the traditional Christmas colours." Kevin chuckled as he saw Antonio and Alano in the corner, standing by the crate. They both just shrugged.

"When has tradition ever mattered to my boy?" Alano asked him. He and Antonio stood either side of the crate, each of them taking up a crowbar, and jamming them into the sides of the crate by the front panel. Alano smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, a few more guests for Christmas."

With a loud crack, they pried open the side of the crate, which fell to the floor. With a distinctive bleeping and some chirps of excitement, the Zords flew out of the crate, heading to their respective families. Emily hugged the ape closely, her eyes flooding with tears of joy.

"They're all going to be just fine." Antonio assured them with a smile. "It'll be quite a while before they're a hundred percent, but with Lauren's Sealing Symbol in place, that shouldn't matter."

"My old friend." Baron said with a huge grin as the Dragon Zord flew from Kevin to him, landing on his hand, curling up contentedly. He had worried that it wouldn't remember him, but there was nothing to worry about. It had served generations of his family faithfully. Baron hobbled over to Antonio, and extended a hand for a handshake. Antonio responded.

"I...I don't know what to say!" Baron stammered happily, struggling to find the words. He had accepted that Antonio was on the team, but now that he had saved his Zord, a creature that meant as much to him as any member of his family. He had never been so overjoyed to be proven wrong about someone so completely. "You...you saved them!"

"Like I said, they'll not be up to full power for quite a while yet." Antonio told him as the Octozord landed on his shoulder. "Still, they were determined they weren't staying in that crate any longer. They felt strong enough, and wanted to be back with their masters."

"The Zords always were as stubborn as their masters." Baron agreed, looking to Octozord. "This one in particular, I remember being rather choosy about who he leant his loyalty to. I'd say the fact he has chosen you says a lot for you."

"I like to think so." Antonio said as he looked to Baron, a smile crossing his face.

"Well, this place is all looking great." Jayden announced happily, checking around the room. "Anyway, there's something really important we need to do. The hospital won't be letting visitors in for long, so if we don't go soon..."

"Why, which one of you has gotten yourselves hurt now?" A familiar voice asked. They all turned to the door, where they saw Ji in a wheelchair, with Brenda standing behind him. In his arms, he was holding their young daughter. Everyone rushed towards him, Jayden and Lauren stopping just before him.

"Ji, you're here!" Jayden rushed out. "You shouldn't be here, you should be..."

"I think I have spent quite enough time in bed." Ji interrupted him. "I can think of no better medicine than being among family."

"Ji, you were run through with a spear." Baron reminded him.

"Well, he's under strict doctors orders." Brenda assured them. "He's to take it easy, which is why he's not to leave this chair unless he's going to bed."

"Well, I'm going to make sure of that!" Jayden put down flatly. "You might not have lost anything vital, but not many people can take a spear to the chest and bounce back."

"We have access to some of the finest medical care available. Our contacts will ensure I can have any assistance I need with only a phone call." Ji reminded him. "In the meantime, I have more than a little catching up to do."

"You're looking well Ji." Sadie greeted him, wheeling over to his side.

"As are you Sadie." Ji answered, leaning across for a hug, handing the baby to Brenda. "I have to admit, although this is temporary, I have a whole new appreciation for what you have faced all these years."

"You get used to it." Sadie answered honestly. "Just feel glad you don't have to."

"Believe me, I consider myself lucky each and every day." Ji told her. "Ava, Parry, Baron...it has been far too long."

"It has indeed." Baron agreed, looking to Brenda. "I presume you are the Brenda we've been hearing so much about."

"I am." She answered, kissing his cheek. "Wow, I've heard so much about all of you, I feel like I know you all already, but I'm really looking forward to getting to know you all better."

"I also believe there is one more person we should meet." Ava gushed, gesturing to the baby. Ji smiled as he took the baby from Brenda, handing her to the former Yellow Ranger.

"This is our daughter." He introduced her. He took a breath as they all looked at her. "This is Terri."

"Wait...what?" Terry gasped, hearing him say this. So far, only Brenda and Ji knew the name they had chosen. He wanted Terry to be the first to know how they had chosen to honour his part in delivering his daughter safely into the world. He hadn't even told Jayden or Lauren. "Her name...you called her..."

"Terri." Brenda confirmed with a smile. "It was the only choice we even considered."

"Were it not for you, we may have lost her." Ji continued, putting a hand on Terry's shoulder. He looked to Sadie and Grant. "You have a fine son. He will be a great doctor one day. You should both be very proud."

"You delivered the baby?" Grant asked. Neither of his parents had heard the story. Terry just shifted a little uneasily as he saw them looking at him.

"I had a doctor on the phone talking me through it." He told them in a low voice. "I had a lot of help."

"He's underselling it, he had a doctor on the phone but it was all him." Serena added. "It was simply the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"It was pretty amazing." Terry conceded. "I doubt I'll ever forget it."

"Well, now you never will." Brenda reminded him. "Terri has your name, and every time she has a birthday, you're sure to remember what you did."

"I can't believe you actually did that." Grant gasped as he looked to his son. He had a look in his eyes that Terry hadn't seen in a long time.

"That's amazing Terry." Sadie chipped in, gesturing her son to come down, grabbing him in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"We both are." Grant added, holding his son tightly. "Well done son."

Terry couldn't speak as his parents embraced him. The rift between him and his parents had been incredibly painful for him. It was only his efforts with Mia and the Rangers that even convinced his parents to allow him back into the house. Even though they had forgiven him for not being there for his sister in her time of need, realising that he was not to blame, there was still a divide. Now, his parents had said something that he longed to hear. They were both proud of him, and for the first time in a long time, it felt like he was their son again. The honour he felt at having Ji name his daughter after him was the greatest gift he could imagine.

"I'm sorry, I..." H stammered as he was suddenly overcome, and brushing past the others, he made his way out of the room. Sadie and Grant were about to go, but Serena held up a hand.

"I'll go." She said a little apologetically, before running after him. Ji looked to both of them and leant closer.

"I am sure he will be fine." Ji assured them. "He will be back in his own time."

"Maybe we should..."

"It's alright Mia. Like all of us, your brother has his own adjustments to make." Ji told her. "Perhaps in the meantime, it would be best if we saw to dinner. After all those weeks in the hospital, I know I'm desperate for some real food."

"I'll get something started." Antonio announced. "Dad, Mia, could I get a hand?"

Antonio, Mia and Alano left the room, followed by Mike and Kevin, who left to arrange drinks for them all. Jayden looked to the assembled parents and smiled.

"So, what do you think of my little sister?" He asked them.

"She's truly beautiful Ji." Ava complimented him, looking to Brenda. "You're both very lucky."

"So, this is the first of the new generation." Baron commented, reaching a finger to the little girl who seemed mesmerised by it, and started to try and follow it with her eyes. He laughed seeing this. "She's already got a lot of focus."

"I think she's getting a little tired." Brenda told them. "Jayden, would you be a huge help and see if you can find a cot anywhere?"

"I think I saw one earlier." He informed her. "I'll just go and get it."

"We should probably set the tables." Lauren suggested, grabbing Emily and pulling her away. Emily protested, being more interested in the baby, being completely besotted by her, but Lauren wasn't to be denied. As she got out of the room though, she stopped.

"Lauren..."

"Emily, I need you to do me a favour." Lauren told her. Emily just looked at her.

"Um...sure." Emily began. "What can I do for you?"

"Listen, I know I'm not exactly...normal." Lauren began, trying to find a way to ask her. "The thing is, I kind of have a little...problem."

"What kind of problem?" Emily asked her.

"Well, the thing is, I...um...I've been thinking about the future." Lauren started to say as a little pink started to appear in her face. She really couldn't understand why all of this was so hard. All of her ancestors had managed it, why couldn't she? "You know, like, Ji and Brenda?"

"You mean...?" Emily looked like she was about to fall over, causing Lauren to reach out for her to steady her. This wasn't going well at all.

"No...well yes...I mean." She continued to stumble over her words, before taking a deep breath. "What I mean is, you have Mike. The odds are you'll have kids one day. Mia and Kevin, they'll probably be the same way. But Jayden..."

"Lauren..."

"If the Fire Symbol Power is going to be passed on, then any child has to be a biological descendent." She reminded Emily. "Mia has Terry, you have Serena, both your families have a plan B. I don't really have the same options. If there are going to be any more Shiba, they have to be my kids."

"Lauren, you're not old." Emily told her. "There's plenty of time for that. You don't have to go to any scary clinics or..."

"No, no, no I didn't mean that either!" Lauren insisted, starting to wave frantically. "It's not just the kids thing. I remember the last family I stayed with, and the life they had. I see that in Ji and Brenda with Terri. I see what you and Mike have, and Mia and Kevin and...I want that for me."

"Lauren, like I said, there isn't any rush." Emily assured her.

"Well, the thing is, you've noticed that my social skills are kind of...hit and miss." She continued. "The thing is, it was something that my mentors never really discussed. I have no idea what to say or do or..."

"You want help with guys?" Emily asked her. Lauren just nodded a little. "Well, I can't claim to be an expert, but I promise I'll help. We'll just get you a little coaching."

"That sounds..."

"You're beautiful, intelligent, strong...you shouldn't have too much difficulty." Emily continued. "I'm sure we could find you a date."

"Emily..."

"I mean, there are loads of speed dating places around the city." Emily continued, trying to think of ideas. "Oh...and there are personal ads...and the internet!"

"Emily..."

"I can ask Mike and Antonio for help setting up something!" She announced. "Oh, and Mia and Serena, between us we should be able to help you dress and teach you how to talk to guys..."

"Emily..."

"It's fine Lauren, we'll help you, don't you worry!" Emily told her, starting to run off. "We'll be able to help with everything! You just see to the place settings, I need to come up with some more ideas!"

As she left, Lauren breathed a little sigh and shook her head, leaning back against the wall. It all sounded so daunting what Emily was talking about. Learning how to talk? Learning how to dress? Where to go? It all sounded like a lot of work, and more than a little bit scary. Still, she supposed that this was the way things were done now. She didn't have any idea what she was doing, perhaps the best thing to do was let the others take the lead.

Serena got outside, and found Terry sitting on the drive-way, looking out over a little decorative pond just outside the hotel. She came over to him, and as she got closer, saw him with bread in his hands, tearing off pieces and throwing them in.

"You know...that's a bit of a waste of time, and food." Serena joked as she arrived. "For one thing, the pond's frozen. For another, the ducks flew south weeks ago."

Terry just put the bread aside as she sat with him.

"He...he said he's proud of me." Terry whispered as she sat with him. "He's proud of me."

"Terry, I know what your family went through was rough." Serena said to him as she put an arm around him. He just shook his head and pulled out his I-phone, logging onto the net. He opened his hotmail, and opened one of the letters, showing it to her. She took the phone from him. It was from Grant, and it was dated a couple of years previously.

"OK, my Japanese isn't as good as yours, but I kind of get the gist of...wait...ouch!" Serena said as she read it. She looked up to Terry. "That's...that's pretty brutal."

"He wrote me that when he found out what Aaron had done." Terry informed her. "I got it a few weeks later."

"Terry, why do you keep this?" Serena asked him.

"I kind of kept it as a reminder." He answered. "When I came back to Panorama, I really wanted to make things right, to be a better brother, a better son. I wanted to be the guy that they deserved."

"Terry, none of that was your fault." Serena reminded him. "When you found out what Aaron had done, you sided with your family."

"Well, it was too little too late as far as dad was concerned." Terry stated. "Everything I did since I came back, making amends with Mia, taking her place when she was out of action, helping the team, all of it was down to me trying to make things right. Not just for the world, but for my family."

"You did an amazing thing Terry." Serena assured him.

"I kept this e-mail as a reminder, to motivate me to do whatever I needed to." Terry said, wiping away a tear. "I was so desperate to get back what I had."

"You heard your dad, they know you're not the person they thought you were." Serena told him as she showed him the phone. "The guy your dad wrote that to, he doesn't exist. I really don't think you need this anymore."

With that, she deleted the e-mail. She held Terry's face softly.

"He said he's proud of me." Terry repeated, a smile crossing his face. "You don't know what that means to me."

"I really think I do." She answered. "And for what it's worth, I'm proud of you too."

With that, she leaned in, kissing him passionately, unaware that from a window, Sadie and Ava were watching. Ava just smiled as she looked to Sadie.

"They still think we don't know?" Ava asked her.

"Of course they do, they're kids." She reminded her. "They think they know everything their parents don't."

"Sadie, times are different now." Ava said, seeing the look on her friend's face. "It's not exactly traditional, but it's not like they haven't been living together for a while now."

"I know, I just...I don't want either of them to get hurt." She told her. "You know how hard it can be moving in with someone you care about."

"Well, like I said, they've been living together for a while now." Ava reminded her. "If they don't know what they want by now, then they never will."

"Do you ever get tired of being a hopeless romantic?" Sadie asked in an exasperated tone. Ava shook her head.

"Never." She put down flatly. "Now, come on. Brenda's put Terri down, and by the looks of things, Kevin's chosen a very nice red."

With that, they both went back to the party, giving Terry and Serena the privacy they obviously wanted right now. There would be time for them to coax the truth out their kids later.


	6. Merry Christmas Samurai

The rest of the night wore on, and seemed to slow down rather mercifully as the final preparations had been made. Dinner had been a chaotic affair, as would be expected now with all the extra guests. All of the Samurai parents were spending time catching Ji up on everything they had been up to since they had last met up. Like the rest of them, Ji had never been with the whole team at one time since their tenure had ended. Occasionally, he had met up with one of them over the years, mostly to catch up on business, their kids' progress in training etc. but this was the first time all of them had been together since they had left the house. Just as Ji had said, it was the best medicine imaginable. Jayden in particular seemed happy with the way he perked up, and became elated. He almost expected Ji to get up out of his wheelchair and start dancing as he laughed and reminisced with the old team.

The Zords also loved being part of the night, scurrying about with energy and vigour that many doubted they would see from them again, given the pounding they had taken in the final battle. They zoomed around between discarded plates, taking bites out of the food, something neither the Rangers, nor their parents really understood, since they didn't really have biological systems, or even taste buds to the best of their knowledge. They imagined it was merely just part of their desire to share in the lives of their masters. They just let them do so once they were finished with their meal, figuring it was their Christmas too.

After clearing away their dishes into the kitchen, Lauren insisted that they should all get comfortable, and insisted that they all head off to change into their pyjamas. It was a little odd, but an understandable request. Lauren, from what they had pieced together, hadn't really celebrated Christmas since she left the Shiba House, so her perception of what to expect seemed to be largely based on the last one she had remembered, back when she was seven years old.

As they returned to the room, all of them seemed to be overcoming the initial reaction to the "pyjama party" idea, and started to get into the spirit of things. It was like they were all suddenly back at their homes, back at the Christmas celebrations they all used to have when they were young. All things considered, this was one of Lauren's best ideas yet.

"Alright guys, are you all comfortable?" Lauren asked as they came back, wearing red silk pyjamas that covered pretty much her whole body. Although she had trained with the Rangers in a gi like the ones they wore, she still seemed reluctant to expose her scarring at times, and by the looks of things, she didn't want the Rangers' parents to see them. "Because I have one more surprise for you all."

She picked up a controller, and pressed a button, at which a screen started to descend from the ceiling. Mike started to bounce excitedly.

"You have a movie?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I keep hearing so much about 'It's a Wonderful Life', so we'll watch that until midnight." Lauren informed them. "But before that, I have something of another little treat, something that I found recently in Ji's study."

She had already cued up the tapes as she had been instructed by the events' staff at the hotel. Starting the tape and dimming the lights, they all watched the screen. She sat with Jayden and Ji as the footage started. It was clear the tape was old, it was just a little distorted, indicating the age of the tape, but as it started, they could see that it was clearly the Shiba House. After a moment, they watched as someone came into view. He was younger, but they could clearly recognise Ji in the picture.

"Just a moment." He said as he looked around, spotting the gifts under the tree. He looked back in the direction of the bedrooms. "Alright, the coast is clear. Santa's been."

A moment later, a couple of kids, a boy, and a girl a couple of years older, ran into the screen, throwing themselves at the presents. There were a few laughs as the Rangers recognised the kids.

"Aww, you were so cute back then." Antonio gushed, nudging his boyfriend. Jayden just laughed, ruffling his hair in response. He couldn't believe Lauren had found this tape. A short time later, a few others started to file into the room, also in their pyjamas. Now, there were a lot of laughs and some comments as the parents all recognised their parents.

"Wow, that really brings back memories." Parry said with a little grin, seeing his younger self. He leaned over to Kevin. "Check out your dad's reaction when he gets his present."

They all laughed seeing Baron looking a little confused trying to open his present. He then glared at Parry and yelled at him, before turning his attention back to the gift, struggling to get a good grip on something to start tearing it. Baron glared at Parry, and whacked him with his cane.

"He put tape over all the seams!" Baron explained as everyone laughed at him. "It took me ages to open the damn thing!"

"Mike pulled that one on me last year." Kevin chuckled, shoving Mike. "Now I know where he got the idea."

"What can I say; the classics don't have an expiration date." Mike answered with a shrug, high-fiving his dad. Emily just rolled her eyes.

"Look Sadie." Ava pointed out as her younger self handed her friend a scarf on the screen. "Can you believe we used to look like that?"

Sadie just nodded in response, taking Ava's arm and smiling. In the video, obviously shot before the final battle, she was still able to walk. Sadie's pile of presents remained largely untouched, while she busied herself going around the others, making sure they all had something for breakfast, asking if they needed drinks etc. It was then, the young Jayden turned to the camera.

"Look Dad, look what Santa got me!" He announced. Lauren saw Jayden sitting forward in his chair as he heard this part. On screen, his younger self held up an electric race car set. "Look!"

"I see it son." They heard a voice coming from behind the camera. The young Jayden looked to the box longingly.

"Can we set it up dad? Can we?" He asked. The camera moved a little, presumably being transferred to a tripod or a table, and a moment later, he entered the picture.

The other Rangers had heard so much about him from their parents, but none of them had ever met John. As he came into view, wearing a pair of red and white striped pyjama bottoms, and a red t-shirt, he approached his son, kneeling down with him. He was a large man, taller even that Baron, and quite broad and heavily muscled, but there was a softness about his demeanour that stopped him being intimidating. He had soft, sandy blonde hair that was brushed back, and kind eyes. He looked to the box, and started to help Jayden with the cellophane.

"Well, let's see here." John said, opening the box and taking out the instructions. He lifted Jayden up onto his lap. "Hmm...this looks complicated. I think I'll need a little help with this."

"Dad, Jayden can't read ye..." Lauren started to say, but John just gave her a little look, silencing her. At that time, Jayden hadn't yet mastered reading, but he was trying to help him. Lauren just turned her attention back to her own presents as John looked to the plans.

"You know what; this really does look kind of hard." John commented. "Ji, would you mind shutting off the camera for a bit? I have a feeling this could get really embarrassing and I think we could do without a permanent record."

Ji went to the camera, and turned it off. Lauren brought up the lights, at which the other Rangers all looked at her.

"It took him nearly two hours to figure that out." Jayden told the others with a little smile. Coming over to Lauren, he hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

"I just found it and thought we'd all get a kick out of it." Lauren told him. "Um...Antonio, Alano, there's a large screen TV next door if you want to watch the Midnight Mass."

Antonio and Alano left, heading through to the room next door. None of the other Rangers were especially religious, but they respected the fact that it had been important to Antonio and his father.

As they made their way through to the side room, Antonio and Alano found a couple of bibles waiting on chairs in front of the TV. It had already been set up to the right channel. Antonio turned it on, and smiled as he realised that it wasn't a TV broadcast at all. It was a direct link to the Panorama City Chapel. He had only been there once, when he was having a crisis of faith, and he had found the priest there to be very accepting.

"Antonio?" Alano asked him as he saw the expression on his son's face. One of the reasons they had started watching Mass on television was because growing up, their local chapel had been somewhat less than accepting when Antonio came out. Although their faith was important to them, Antonio couldn't deny what he was. His father had stood up for his son, maintaining that his love for his son was more important to him than any church.

"I...I went there once." Antonio informed him. "The Priest, Father Thomas, he accepted me, even once he knew that I was gay."

"Really?" Alano asked him. Antonio nodded.

"He told me I was welcome any time." Antonio continued. "Jayden must have told Lauren, she must have set up a video link. I...I can't believe she went to all that trouble."

"She is a strange one, but she's a good person." Alano stated. "I'm sure having her as a sister will be interesting to say the least."

"I think so." Antonio agreed as they turned back to the ceremony.

A little while later, back in the main room, the Rangers and their parents watched the conclusion of the movie. It was a classic Christmas tale, one that most of them had seen a couple of times, but it was something that all of them loved. As the final credits rolled, and Lauren shut it off, they heard the sound of bells from next door. Checking their watches, all except Lauren, who never wore one due to still having an issue with anything being fastened around her wrist. Jayden confirmed what they all knew, standing up.

"It's midnight!" He called out. "Merry Christmas everyone!"

Antonio and Alano came in following the service, and greeted all of their friends, before they all descended on the pile of gifts, starting to hand them out. Lauren stood back, admiring her handiwork. Seeing the excitement, hearing the laughter and the cheerful voices, it was everything she had hoped for.

"Lauren." Jayden said, rousing her attention. He handed her a gift. "You seem to be forgetting something. It's your Christmas too."

"I'm just happy..."

"Come on, you've done a great thing." Jayden encouraged her, gesturing back to the parcel. "It's time for you to get something out of this."

"I already have." Lauren gushed. "But thank you."

She opened the gift, and looked at it, finding a leather book inside. It looked really quite old. Opening it, she found the first page written in what she recognised as her father's handwriting. She looked up to Jayden in astonishment.

"It's dad's old photo album." Jayden informed her. "Ji kept it, and gave it to me years ago. I've put some photos in it over the years too. It's kind of a family legacy. I figured, maybe it was time it was yours."

Overwhelmed, Lauren just threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as tears started to run down her face.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Within moments, the room was a scene of carnage, with paper, ribbons and bows tossed in all directions. The Rangers and their families loved their gifts, but what was more important was being together. Lauren's presents followed a particular theme, with pretty much everyone getting her clothes. She didn't have many interests outside of Samurai training, and a very limited wardrobe. Indeed, she had been conditioned early on to only have multiple copies of the same outfit so she wouldn't 'waste time' deciding what to wear each day. Now the war was over, clearly everyone was hoping that she would learn to think outside her rather constrictive lifestyle.

"Wow, all this stuff is great." Mike commented as he surveyed his pile of gifts. "I doubt anyone could even think about sleeping!"

"Um...I wouldn't think that." Emily told him, tapping his shoulder. They all turned to where she pointed to a corner. There, slumped in a corner, and beginning to snore, was Lauren. All her efforts, all her work to create this piece of Christmas magic for her friends had completely worn her out.

"I guess some things never change." Jayden chuckled as he made his way over. He gently edged his arms under her, picking her up, being careful not to wake her. As the others filed slowly to their rooms to get some much-needed rest, Jayden took her to her room, much as his father had when they were kids. He didn't know what the day had meant to her, but to him, she had accomplished everything she had set out to. This Christmas seemed perfect.

**A/N:** Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a great day tomorrow, and I promise to post more afterwards, taking the Rangers into the New Year. Whatever you do tomorrow, be healthy, be happy, and enjoy.


	7. One More Christmas Present

The party had all gone to bed for a well-earned rest after staying up until after midnight to open their presents. Lauren in particular was exhausted, having spent every waking moment for the last couple of weeks working to ensure that Christmas was perfect for everyone. Just like when they were kids, she had ended up passing out, completely exhausted after staying awake just long enough to see that everyone had a great time.

After a few hours' sleep, everyone got up, and was a lot livelier when they met up again in the early afternoon. Mike was a little disappointed that he didn't have any of his consoles with him, since more than one of the others had given him games for his Christmas, meaning he would have to wait until he got to his new home before he could play them. Still, he was more than happy to wait, since there was always something going on at the hotel. Right now, he was enjoying the opportunity to get to know his future in-laws.

Martin and Ava had taken care of the finer details of buying them the Fisher farm, a farm a couple of miles from where they lived, roughly half way between their home and Panorama city. Listening to Emily talk to Martin and Ava, he had learned that since he took over his dad's farm at a young age, it had always been Martin's ambition to expand the property, but he never had the means. Between providing for his family, building a nest egg for his own retirement, which he assured them was still some way off, and college funds for both of his girls, it had taken him so long to build up the money needed to buy the land he was seeking, he was starting to doubt whether or not he would be able to handle such a massive expanse of land.

Although he wasn't especially old, and was talking about his retirement in terms of years away, he was no longer young enough to run around a stretch of land that was larger than many housing estates. The obvious solution, since Emily was keen to return to a life she was used to back in the country, was for her to take on the other farm. It would mean that the family would have the benefit of double the land and livestock, but there would be someone Martin could rely on to handle the bits he couldn't tend to himself. It had the dual benefit of meaning that Emily and Mike would have a home. They had already agreed that Martin would put up the deposit as a wedding present, and leave them to handle the repayments. Mike had always been a city boy, but he was looking forward to his new life, and was already imagining the first time he'd invite his friends Reece and Matthew out to the farm.

Antonio, meanwhile was telling everyone that would listen about all the ideas he had for his new restaurant. His cart had been destroyed during one of the last Nighlock battles, and with everything happening so quickly, he had never gotten around to replacing it. Now that the Nighlock were gone, and he was looking to rebuilding his business, his dreams had grown beyond the cart, with more than a little encouragement from Jayden. Between advice he was getting from other restaurateurs he knew, RJ and Hayley, and his own experience in running a business, he was starting to gain confidence that he would be able to run a full-blown restaurant. His biggest surprise was still to come though. As he sat with Jayden, who was now forcing himself to smile as Antonio bored him to death with yet more menu ideas and fish talk, Baron approached them. He was still wearing suit trousers, but he was also wearing a bright green jersey, with a reindeer across the chest, one of those presents everyone was sure he would only wear for that one day. He sat down, resting his cane aside.

"You know Antonio, from all I've heard, I think you really know what you're doing." Baron told him as he sat with him. I've been building something of a portfolio for a while now. Nothing huge, but I have made a few investments here and there around the city."

"Mr Chambers?" Antonio asked him. Baron smiled.

"So far, I've bought a few shares in established businesses, but I've never had the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new development." Baron continued as he handed Antonio a glass of wine. "I think a restaurant, especially a fish restaurant, would be a rather appropriate investment for the coach of a swim team."

"You want to be a partner in my business?" Antonio asked him. Baron held up a hand.

"A silent partner, I assure you. I may ask for some advertising or endorsements for the team, but I'll leave the actual running of the place to you." Baron said as he saw Antonio's expression. "My family may not have as deep pockets as the Shiba Clan, but I can assure you that I have the means, and am more than serious."

Antonio looked to Jayden, who had already agreed to help fund the restaurant. Jayden just nodded. Antonio had always insisted he didn't want to be a kept man, the reason he wanted to re-start his business in the first place. He still needed money, a lot more than he could get his hands on to get his business off the ground, but having another partner, someone other than Jayden involved would make it feel a lot less like Jayden was keeping him. Now, his success or failure would matter a lot more than merely affecting his pride, he had someone else to be held accountable to.

"What kind of investment are you thinking of?" He asked.

"How about forty percent?" Baron asked him. Antonio thought about it for a moment.

"Um...twenty?" He offered in response. Although he was keen on having a partner, he didn't want Baron to risk too much of his money. Although Baron had suggested that he had means available, he wasn't sure exactly how much, and the last thing he wanted if anything went wrong was to bankrupt Kevin's family into the bargain.

"Thirty." Baron offered in return. Antonio thought about it for a second.

"Twenty five." He put down. Baron smiled and extended a hand, which Baron shook in response.

"Done." He answered. "I'm sure one of Ji's many contacts is a lawyer. He'll be able to work something out that will be mutually agreeable."

"I really look forward to it." Antonio answered with a huge grin on his face. "Welcome to the business."

"Well, you are part of the family." Baron stated with authority. "I owe you a lot for everything you've done for them. You really are a Samurai. You're a rather...different...kind of Samurai, but a Samurai nonetheless, and we Samurai stick together."

"That means a lot coming from you." Antonio said, holding Jayden's hand tightly. Baron got up and gestured across the room.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to your father about a little project we've got on the go." Baron told them. "If you'll excuse me."

Retrieving his cane, he made his way over to Alano. Jayden just looked at Antonio.

"What do you suppose he meant by that?" Jayden asked. Antonio shook his head.

"With my dad, who knows?" He said with a shrug. "Look Jayden, I know you..."

"I get it Antonio; I know you want to feel like you're making it on your own." Jayden interrupted him. "I guess having another partner in the business won't exactly be a bad thing. Sometimes viewing things from a different angle can really help."

"I guess we could do with another few dozen partners then." Antonio sighed. "I'm really nervous about this."

"I know you are, I'd be worried if you weren't." Jayden told him. "Just remember though, just like the Ranger thing, it's best to have one game plan, one direction. Take all the advice you need, but in the end, you take the helm. It's your business."

"Thanks man." Antonio answered as he drew in, kissing him softly.

Dinner was a grand affair. The staff had left them a truly glorious spread, beginning with a huge tureen of wild mushroom soup, followed by a main course of turkey, roast potatoes, vegetables, which only needed to be reheated.

As they cleared away the dishes from the main course, and some more drinks were poured, Mia went to her mom and dad, talking with them for a moment, before they crossed the room. Sadie gave Baron a little nod, at which he and Michelle came into the middle of the room too. Baron tapped his glass with the head of his cane, bringing everyone's attention to the middle of the room.

"Everyone, I would like you all to join us in a toast." Baron began, looking around the room. "They say that war creates a bond that just cannot be found in civilian life, and seeing you all here this holiday season, I know that's true. To my old friends, it has been far too long since we got together, but even after all these years, it still feels like only days ago we were together. I missed each and every one of you, even you Parry, more than I even realised, and I hope that now we won't leave it so long to get together again."

There was a small laugh at his little joke at Parry's expense. They had butted heads a few times in the house, but much like their kids, they had in many ways been the best of friends. Their conflicting personalities just seemed to fit together, each of their personal weaknesses being countered by the other's strengths.

"Nice Jersey Baron!" Parry shot back, causing another small laugh, one that Baron joined in. The former Blue Ranger continued.

"Our children, who all of us missed so dearly during our time at the house, have all grown into fine young people. Stronger, even than us, and able to finish the war started generations ago by our ancestors. They even brought a new Samurai into the legacy, started a new Noble Family, and for that, we can all truly be proud." Baron continued his toast, before looking to Ji, who was holding Terri in his arms. "And finally, the thing we all look forward to, the next generation of the legacy, which I noticed started a little earlier than any of us anticipated. To one and all, I say the most important thing of all. We are more than friends, we are family. Rangers Together!"

"Samurai Forever!" The rest of the room chorused, taking a drink. Baron then looked to Mia.

"Now, I believe that Mia has something she wishes to say." He said, introducing her. Lauren smiled. Jayden looked at her, wondering what she knew, but his sister just shook her head. He would have to wait like everyone else.

"Kevin, I have one last present I'd like to give you." Mia told him, reaching to her mother. Sadie pulled a parcel from behind her, handing it to Mia. It was a simple, flat square box, wrapped in pink paper. She came over to him, and handed him the parcel.

"Mia, you've already given me plenty." He told her with a smile. She just gestured to the box.

"Well, just consider this a little extra." She told him. Kevin just shifted a little as he started to tear open the paper. Seeing that it was a clothing box, and how small it was, he looked to Mia.

"Um...are you sure we should be opening this in front of our parents?" He asked. Everyone laughed. Mia just gestured back to the box.

"Just open it will you?" She ordered him. Kevin opened the box, and was a little bemused when all he found in there was some lace material. Pulling it out, he found a hair band attached. It took him a moment to realise that it was a wedding veil. He just looked to Mia, who nodded to confirm what he thought.

"How about it?" Mia asked. "Everyone we care about is right here. This place is beautiful, and I have the most amazing man in the world. So, I was thinking, how would you feel about making it official tomorrow?"

"Boxing Day?" He asked. "Mia, how can we...?"

"Um...I think I should explain." Alano answered, stepping forward. "I've worked on ships for years, and in that time, I've seen plenty of weddings, and even performed a few in my time. I enjoyed it so much; I got a licence to perform ceremonies on land a while back. By the authority of the State of California, I can marry anyone who has a marriage licence."

"We got our marriage licence before we left the Shiba House." Mia reminded him. "So, what do you say?" Kevin just smiled and took her by the hand.

"Nothing would make me happier." He answered, pulling her in and kissing her. Everyone in the room cheered, and rushed in to congratulate them. All except from Jayden and Lauren. Jayden looked to Lauren.

"You knew about this?" He asked. She just nodded.

"Well, I had to know to ask the staff to leave food for the wedding right?" Lauren asked in response. "Besides, I think Mia wanted to make sure she wasn't intruding on my parade. We were here for over a week, I was only too happy to give her a day."

"You know, you always find a way to amaze me." Jayden complimented his sister. She just shrugged.

"That's what makes me the big sister." She responded.

"Well...actually it's biology that makes you the big sister." He teased her. "You know, order of birth and all that."

"Well, whatever." She answered with a shrug, pointing to where Mia and Kevin were receiving congratulations from the others, smiling brightly. "That's what really matters."

"Hey Kevin!" Jayden called out, making his way over. "Has anyone been lobbying for Best Man yet?"


	8. The Morning of the Wedding

The rest of Christmas had gone by in kind of a blur, since it was now a combined Christmas, Hen night, and Stag night. The Rangers and their families all prepared for what needed to be done the following day if they were to keep things to a decent schedule. Lauren had already arranged to move the guys' party down to the main bar, while keeping the hen party in the main hall, so that Kevin and Mia could observe the ritual of "not seeing each other the night before." It also required a bit of bedroom juggling, meaning that as a sacrifice on a temporary basis, tonight Mike would be sharing with Kevin, and Mia would be sharing with Emily. It was the least troublesome arrangement, since when they first arrived at the Shiba House that had been the sleeping arrangements anyway.

Lauren made sure the Hen party was well furnished with champagne. She hadn't actually been to a wedding, but seeing the excitement in the air, she was starting to understand why Mia was so obsessed with them. Although everyone was still on a high about Christmas, this was a different thing entirely. Everyone was buzzing around Mia, congratulating her and wishing her well in her marriage, while ensuring she had a great night on what was left of the night.

"I'm maid of honour!" Emily shrieked as she jumped into view, almost causing Lauren to fall off her chair in fright. She spilled a little champagne, but her reaction time was quick enough to stop her falling off the chair. "Lauren, did you hear me? I'm the Maid of Honour! Mia just told me!"

"Please, are you really that surprised?" Lauren chuckled as she wiped some excess off the side of her glass, before any more dripped out. "You have been practically a sister to her for almost two years."

"Yeah, I know, but Serena's the same age as her, and you're her Shogun." Emily reminded her, bouncing excitedly. "But she chose ME!"

Lauren just smiled, understanding her excitement. She knew that Emily had a few minority complex issues. She had been bullied terribly growing up, and didn't have any real friends until she reached the Shiba House. Being the second child, she was the second choice for Yellow Ranger. In many ways, it was one of the first times she was taken as the first choice by anyone for anything. Lauren could see how much it meant to her. She just reached forward, grabbing Emily and pulling her into a tight, one-armed hug.

"You deserve it." Lauren told her, kissing her cheek softly, before releasing her. "So, this is what the run up to a wedding is like?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Emily answered, rubbing her neck, feeling more than a little pain from Lauren's overly-enthusiastic gesture of affection. She saw the way Lauren was looking at Mia and sighed. "Lauren, is this about what we talked about before?"

"Kind of I guess." Lauren answered quietly. "I mean, look at how happy Mia is. Look at the way everyone crowds around her. I just...I can't help imagining what it would be like having a day like that for myself."

"You know that it's not just about the wedding don't you?" Emily asked a little uneasily as she looked at Lauren. The Red Ranger just drank some more champagne, before pouring herself another glass.

"Of course, it's not like I plan on marrying the first guy that can give me kids and then throwing him away like the garbage." She told Emily. "It's like I said, I want what Mia has with Kevin, what you have with Mike. I just...I see that, and I guess I'm a little...well, OK, I'm a lot jealous."

"You don't need to be." Emily answered as she sat with Lauren, putting an arm around her. "You're a great person. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

Lauren just looked at her, seemingly unconvinced, before turning her attention back to her champagne. Emily decided to press on.

"Well, I remember promising to help you." Emily reminded her. "Maybe it would help to begin with what you're looking for."

"Excuse me?" Lauren asked her.

"Well, what kind of guys do you go for?" Emily pressed on. As Lauren just stared blankly at her, Emily realised her mistake. Lauren had already explained that her attendants hadn't encouraged anything that distracted from her training. Any of the guys she knew were either kept at arms' length, or old enough to be her father. Dating especially was right off the books. "OK, how about this. You've watched TV haven't you? What kinds of guys on there have traits you think are appealing?"

"Well, definitely not that yellow sponge thing Mike insists on watching." She giggled. "I mean, he's on that channel pretty much every hour of the day, and that laugh? It's as painful as a dentists' drill!"

"Lauren..."

"I mean, there are tons of other good shows on that channel, why do they force every episode ever made of that show every single day?" Lauren asked her.

"Yeah, I don't get the appeal of Sponge Bob at all either." Emily conceded. "But that's not what I meant."

"I know, it's just..." Lauren's words tailed off as she tried to think about it. She really hadn't had much time with guys her own age. Really, until she went to the Shiba House, she had barely met any. She thought about some of the things she admired about characters on TV, things she liked about the guys she had met, even the other guys on the team.

"Well, I guess liking kids would be a good start, since I am kind of planning on a family at some point." Lauren began off-hand, before thinking a little more about what she wanted from a guy. "I guess I'd like him to be kind, thoughtful, but not a pushover. I'd like him to be strong enough to be able to say what he likes, what he believes, but not feeling the need to force his ideas on anyone."

"OK, that's good." Emily told her. "What else?"

"I guess I'd like him to have a good sense of humour." Lauren continued, her gaze drifting off slightly. "He should be smart, caring, I'll need someone who doesn't care about my...quirks, or the fact I have money, in fact if they didn't know that would be for the best...I guess...I...this is silly..."

"Why is it silly?" Emily pressed her. "Surely you need to know what you want before you start looking."

"Well, it's not like I have much of an open market." Lauren told her. "I mean, look at me!"

"Yeah, you're pretty hot." Emily complimented her. "Hell, if I was that way inclined..."

"Look, I'm just being silly. I guess the wedding stuff is just getting to me." Lauren told her. "Look, you should go back to the others. You need to make sure Mia makes it to the aisle."

With that, Emily made her way back to the party, sending a text to Mike as she did so.

The following morning was a slight extension of the problems they had faced the night before, but they quickly worked around them. Once more, the girls were having breakfast in the main ball room, while the guys had breakfast in the bar. Kevin had foregone training that morning, though not only because he was excited about the wedding. He sat at a table, cradling his aching head in one hand, his elbow on the table when Baron came over. He put down a tray, carrying a glass of water, a couple of aspirin, and a red, viscous liquid.

"Don't worry son, everyone's entitled." Baron told him with a chuckle. "I remember having a mammoth hangover the morning I married Michelle."

"God, I feel like crap." Kevin commented. "I must look like hell; Mia's going to kill me."

"Trust me, if I could look presentable on my wedding day, we'll have no trouble fixing you up." Baron assured him, handing him the thick, red drink. "Here, have this."

"What is it?" Kevin asked.

"Virgin Mary." Baron told him. "Tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco sauce, salt and pepper. Believe me, it'll help. Have that, an aspirin and a shower, then change. You'll be fine."

"Dad, I'm..."

"You don't need to apologise, everyone's allowed a little vice or overindulgence once in a while." Baron assured him. "Despite my training, I know I enjoyed the odd overstuffed burrito back in my swimming days."

Baron reached out to his son as Kevin took a long sip.

"The others are setting up." He told him. "You just try to relax. It's natural to be nervous."

"I'm not." Kevin put down flatly as he finished his Virgin Mary. Baron just looked at him. "I'm not nervous, not at all."

"Really?" Baron asked him. Kevin shook his head.

"I've been nervous before every swim meet, every time trial, I was nervous when I first told Mia how I felt..." Kevin rhymed off. "I was nervous before every Ranger battle, but this time I'm not. I think about making Mia my wife, and there isn't one part of me that has a second though."

"Then you've obviously made the right choice." Baron answered, patting his son on the shoulder. "Now, try to have some breakfast. It'll be a surprisingly long day."

"Thanks dad." Kevin answered. "Look, I know I asked Mike to be Best Man..."

"It's alright, I understand." Baron assured him. "I'll be on Kleenex duty with your mother anyway. Just try to enjoy it."

"I will." Kevin answered as he went to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. Baron just smiled as he watched him go. The Dragon Zord landed on Baron's shoulder and bowed its head sadly.

"Don't worry, we're not losing him." Baron told the little Zord. "He's become a fine man. He'll still be in our lives."

The Zord bleeped a little dejectedly. Baron just laughed, stroking it with his hand.

"Well, I think it'll be interesting for all of us finding out what happens." Baron sniggered slightly. "Still, you won't face that challenge alone. The Turtle will be going with you remember?"

The Dragon just slumped down, seemingly unconvinced. He just sat, comforting his old friend.

Mike ran around frantically as Jayden and Antonio helped him set up for the ceremony. Mia had always dreamed of an outdoor ceremony, and they were doing what they could to make it a possibility, but it seemed that nature had its own little obstacle to put on the proceedings. Overnight, there had been a heavy snow fall, and the ground was now covered in a thick, white blanket. It complicated things, but when Mike had texted Emily to inform her of the development, Emily had just texted back to say that Mia had made up her mind, and the ceremony was to go ahead EXACTLY as planned!

Antonio had found and set up a couple of area heaters, adjusting them slightly. They were a little over six feet tall at the top, where the heat came out, so they were high enough that if he set them up right, they wouldn't melt the snow, but would mean that anyone who wasn't fortunate enough not to have to be in formal dress wouldn't freeze. They only had about ten of them, so they lined the aisle with them, and left two at the 'altar'. It was really two trees, which Mike had manipulated with his Samuraizer into growing across into an arch. Jayden had found a little podium in one of the equipment cupboards, and had brought it out for Alano to use for the ceremony.

Parry was helping set out chairs for everyone, while Jayden used a jet of flame from his Samuraizer to melt a path to the altar, so Antonio could unroll a length of red carpet.

"Alright, it doesn't look like it's going to snow again for a while." Mike commented, looking up to the sky. "I guess we have to hope Mia and Kevin don't get cold feet."

Everyone just glared at him.

"Really Mike?" Jayden asked, a little judgementally.

"Dude, even I think that was lame." Antonio agreed. Mike just sighed.

"Alright, we should probably keep an eye on the weather." Mike told them. "You guys go and get ready."

As they went inside, Parry stayed with his son. He could see a complete change in Mike. Although he wasn't ever exactly the most serious-minded person, Mike especially had concerned him growing up, seeming to never quite get when it was time for the jokes and games to stop, and pay attention to the boring but practical things in the world. He came over as Mike checked the podium had been set up correctly.

"It's a big day." Parry told him.

"With Mia involved, it was always going to be." Mike answered as he gave it a little shake to make sure it was sturdy. He knew it was only there for show, neither Mia nor Kevin were especially religious, so he doubted that it would be needed for any bible readings, but he seemed to still find it important. He was checking every detail, and seemed to be taking all of it very seriously. "I doubt the guys setting up for Will and Kate would have been under this much pressure."

"I guess it's got you thinking about your own wedding to Emily." Parry suggested. Mike just shrugged.

"I guess." He commented. "We don't really want a huge fuss. If we can get our friends together, that'll be good enough for us."

"Are you sure?" Parry asked him. Mike just nodded.

"It's not about the wedding; it's about the marriage that comes afterwards." Mike answered sagely. Parry just smiled and sat down, gesturing to Mike to do the same.

"You've really changed." Parry said as he looked to his son proudly. "I can't believe how much."

"I guess I never thought about it." Mike replied honestly. In a lot of ways he had, and he couldn't even pinpoint where it had happened. When he came to the Shiba House, he was a big fish in a small pond. He was a nerd, a geek, that much he admitted. He was always into comic books and video games, but as a result of his training, he was never a victim with it. The schoolyard bullies who tried to take advantage of him and his friends quickly regretted it. Matthew and Reece, his best friends since Kindergarten, had been firm friends with him, and enjoyed a measure of protection as a result of his skill. It did, however, give him a bit of an ego, something even Mike would readily admit.

When he first came to the Shiba House, he thought he knew it all. He had been in a few fights, and always walked away relatively untouched. Even kids years older than him, and much stronger weren't much of a challenge. However, when he first got to the Shiba House, he was given a serious wake up call.

Seeing Jayden in action when he first arrived in Panorama City opened his eyes to a level of skill and power he never believed to be possible. When he actually got to the house and started training, he was completely humbled in quick fashion, showing him that he most definitely didn't know as much as he thought he did. The Nighlock were far stronger than the bullies he was used to, and his first days of training were nothing short than an exercise in humiliation as Kevin and Jayden took him to task, generally leaving him on the ground, with no idea how he got there. It had lit a fire under him, one that had given him more focus than he ever had on any video game. It showed him what he had been neglecting, and what he wanted to be.

"Anyway, let's go and get changed." Parry instructed him, getting up. "I doubt there'll be another snow fall in the next twenty minutes."

"Dad, could you do me a favour?" Mike asked him. Parry just nodded.

"What is it?" He asked in response.

"Could you tell me about mom?" Mike questioned him. Parry had lost his wife while Mike was still a baby. In a lot of ways, it was just one of the ways in which Mike had identified with Jayden, knowing what it was like growing up without a parent. Parry just smiled.

"Of course." Parry said happily. "Days like this make me think about her too."

In her room, Mia was almost finished getting dressed. She had worn a wedding dress once before, back as part of a mission for the Rangers, but this time was different. This time, it was a real dress, for her real ceremony. It was the day she had dreamed about for years.

She had to admit that things had happened that weren't ideal, and that hadn't gone exactly as planned. She had always had wild dreams about the most outlandish ceremonies that anyone could imagine. Some of the ideas her imagination had conjured would have put a Disney production to shame, but with Kevin, she found she didn't need any of it.

She had meant what she had said to him. All her family was here. Her mom, her dad, her brother, all the other Samurai...she couldn't imagine anything else she needed to make the day perfect. Emily just looked at her, with bright, shining eyes, almost in tears.

"Mia, you look so beautiful." Emily gushed as Sadie moved closer, with a box in her hands.

"You really do look wonderful sweetheart." Sadie agreed. She gestured to her daughter to kneel down, where she could reach her. Mia did so, allowing her mother to attach the hair band, carrying her veil to her hair. She looked to her daughter and smiled. "Kevin's a lucky man."

"I'm the lucky one." Mia answered. "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve him."

"Is everything ready?" Grant asked from the door, knocking it and opening it ajar, so he didn't just burst in. Sadie turned her chair towards the door.

"Its fine Grant, your daughter's ready." She informed him. Grant came in, and saw Mia standing in her dress. It was a flowing, white gown, with long sleeves, and an intricate pattern embroidered into it. It was a little old-fashioned, but Mia loved it. It had been the same dress Sadie had worn on her wedding day, and she had joyfully agreed to let Mia wear it when she told her of her plans. Grant stood, looking at Mia breathlessly.

"You...you look...I can't believe this is my little princess." He stammered. "I can't believe that this day came. I still think of you as my little girl." Mia just came over, hugging her dad.

"_I'll always be your little girl, and you'll always be my dad._" She answered in Japanese. Grant parted from her, seeing her smile, and he was satisfied.

"_Kevin will make you happy._" He assured her, putting her veil over her face. He looked to Sadie. "_Tell Mike and the others we're ready._"

Sadie nodded and headed out the door. By virtue of needing to use the elevator, it would take her a while to get outside. Grant handed Mia another glass of champagne.

"I can't believe I'm really giving you away." He stated. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready for a long time." Mia assured him, thinking about Kevin. "We just need to wait on our signal."


	9. Boxing Day Wedding

The Rangers and their families all gathered outside the hotel, taking their seats as they waited for the proceedings to begin. The wedding was something of a surprise for all concerned, so none of them had packed black-tie dress. All apart from Kevin's parents, who had been part of the whole plan, and so had formal wear among their possessions. Baron was guided to his chair by Michelle, complaining a little about how the cold weather affected his hip. He rarely complained loudly, taking a certain pride in his battle scars, but occasionally it didn't feel like much of an honour. When he had been taken down in his final battle, Xandred had shattered his right hip socket. It was now mostly metal and plastic, and he still walked with a cane, but he never considered himself unlucky, especially since his team mate Sadie was now confined to a wheelchair. He knew that the kids on his team wondered how a guy that had once been an Olympic prospect had ended up needing a cane to walk, and rumours varied from the relatively sublime, like a car accident or slipping and falling on the edge of a pool, to the somewhat ridiculous, that he had been intentionally crippled by a rival team to keep him out of the running. All things considered, he just let them talk. A few sore mornings in cold weather was nothing in comparison to what others had suffered.

Sadie came out of the hotel, wheeling down the ramp. Parry made his way over to help her, since much of the ground was now covered in snow. He knew she generally liked to manage by herself, but he helped her nonetheless, figuring she had enough to concentrate on today.

"She's ready." She announced, gesturing to Terry, Antonio and Jayden. "Start playing!"

Terry and Antonio started playing the wedding march on their guitars. Antonio had given Jayden a guitar for his Christmas, but he wasn't quite ready to play publically yet. Antonio had assured him he would teach him how to play, and now he didn't have Nighlock to worry about, Jayden seemed to be looking forward to the new challenge. Right now, he was watching Terry and Antonio play, trying to replicate the fingering without really playing.

Up at the altar, Alano steadied himself, preparing to begin the ceremony, while Kevin stood nervously. He had gone to his room, finding a tux laid out on his bed. Clearly, his parents had been in on the surprise wedding, and brought it with them. He had a blue silk cummerbund, and a blue silk bow tie. Mike was standing beside him, trying to keep him calm.

"Kevin, will you cool it?" He asked. "You heard Sadie, she's coming."

"Do you have the rings?" Kevin asked him. Mike just rolled his eyes.

"No, I lost them since you asked thirty seconds ago." Mike answered sarcastically. "Yes Kevin, I have the rings."

A moment later, Antonio and Terry played the main crescendo of the tune. Kevin stood, staring straight forward, his sense of protocol forbidding him from satisfying his natural urge to turn and see his bride as she came down the aisle. Mike had no such reservations, and turned a little. His mouth hung open in shock.

"Mike..."

"Dude, Mia has never looked hotter." Mike whispered. As Antonio and Terry played, Mia came up the aisle, arm-in-arm with her father, Emily right behind her. She had the brightest smile anyone could remember her having as she came to the altar. Kevin finally allowed himself to look at her as she arrived. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Friends and family, new and old, we're here today to unite this man and woman in holy matrimony." Alano began, gesturing to Kevin and Mia. "Is there anyone that can think of any reason they may not be married?"

None of them spoke. As Kevin took Mia's hand, they rested them on Alano's outstretched hands.

"Kevin Chambers, do you take Mia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" He asked, looking to the Blue Ranger. "To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Kevin answered, saying the two words he had never been more certain of in his life. He couldn't imagine a life without Mia in it. He had many dreams, going to Rio in 2016, managing his own team in 2020, perhaps even running his own sports facility afterwards, but there was one thing that never changed no matter how far his dreams went. Mia was always by his side, and one day, so were their children. He squeezed her hand gently as he looked to her.

"And Mia Watanabe, do you take Kevin to be your lawfully wedded husband?" He continued, looking to her. "To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Mia answered in a whisper, looking to Kevin as her father stepped away, taking his seat in the front row. Mike handed Alano the rings, which Kevin and Mia exchanged without a word. By now, the words were meaningless; they had already pledged themselves to each other in their hearts.

"Then by the power invested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Alano concluded as Kevin lifted Mia's veil, pressing his lips to hers. "You may kiss...oh, what do you need my permission for?"

Everyone let out a huge cheer, while the Turtle Zord zoomed over their heads. It started to spin quickly, before spraying out a fine, white, powdery snow over the pair, while the others took pictures. Mia and Kevin laughed, turning to their assembled family.

"So, is this the fairytale you always wanted?" Kevin asked her. Mia shook her head.

"Prince Charming could never compete." She answered. "This was perfect."

Everyone went inside out of the cold after the ceremony, and the rest of the night was dedicated to the reception. Seeing Lauren sitting in a corner by herself, Emily gestured to Serena and Mike to come with her. Lauren still wasn't entirely comfortable in large scale social situations, even with the team, who had constantly assured her she was part of the family. Emily sat with her.

"Lauren, I promised we'd get working on your little project, and I intend to keep that promise." Emily assured her. "Mike, show her."

"Well, I had a little help from Antonio, but I found some places that do speed-dating." Mike informed her, showing her a list of addresses. "They'll all start up again in the New Year, and I've listed them by which night they have their speed-dating night."

"Um...what's speed-dating?" Lauren asked them. Mike just laughed.

"Well, basically you sit at a table, a guy sits down, and he has two minutes to convince you that he deserves longer to get to know you." Mike explained. "After two minutes, you either leave, or the guy moves to another table and another guy sits down and the whole thing starts again."

"Two minutes?" Lauren asked him. "You're meant to decide if you like a guy in two minutes?"

"There's something else." Mike told her. He opened up a web site, which Lauren stared at. She saw her own picture, and a whole lot of writing. "I put your details into a dating website!"

"You did what?" Lauren asked incredulously. She started looking at the details. "How did you find out all this?"

"Well...most of the basic stuff I got from Jayden, you know, your birthday and that kind of thing." Mike started to explain. "Some of it though...I kind of had to use best guesses."

"Under interests, you have listed...working out, reading and writing?" She asked him.

"Well, I couldn't really list your real interests could I?" He asked her. "Besides, outside of training and reading up on strategy and symbol power what do you do?"

Lauren had to concede that point. Seeing it written down though, it didn't really sound like she did a whole lot. Maybe people had a point when they told her she should expand her interests slightly. She had played some video games with Mike, but she still wasn't that practiced at them, and she had no idea how Antonio or Terry could make any sense of all those symbols on the sheet music they read when they practiced with their guitars.

"Looking for a man with GSOH for friendship, maybe more." Lauren read under the section marked for expectations. "OK, what is GSOH, and what's that meant to mean?"

"Good Sense of Humour." Serena explained. "As for friendship maybe more...it's kind of hedging your bets. You don't want to say right off the bat that you want marriage and kids."

"It sounds like desperation, and that can scare a lot of guys off." Emily explained.

"Orientation?" Lauren asked.

"Um...that means whether you're looking for a guy or a girl." Mike told her. Lauren just looked to them and sighed.

"OK, so this is how people do things now?" She asked them. Mike just shrugged.

"Hey, it used to be that only freaks and mutants used these things, but that's not been the case for a long time." He assured her. "People have busy lives these days, a lot of professionals, CEOs and the like use dating sites now. Look at this guy, he's a Lawyer!"

"Well, I'd like to say I'm not that desperate, but I guess I kind of am." Lauren sighed. "OK, what do I do?"

"Click on search." Mike instructed her. "It'll match up your details with others in order of how compatible you are."

"How does it...wait...38 matches?" She asked.

"Yeah, I limited the search parameters to Panorama City." Mike informed her. "Well, Antonio did, I just helped with some of the profile page."

"There are 38 guys out there that this site thinks are a good match for me?" Lauren asked. Serena clicked on the first link.

"Now, you just look through, and see if any of these guys sound interesting." Serena told her. "If they do, you can send them an e-mail and see how things go from there."

"We'll just...let you have a look." Emily stated, handing Lauren the laptop and walking away with Serena and Mike. Lauren just started to scroll through her matches to see who else the computer decided she should meet.

Kevin was still receiving congratulations well into the night. Grant came over with Sadie, and shook his hand.

"Welcome to the family son." He greeted him. Kevin just smiled, and paused as he searched his mind for the response.

"Um..._The honour is all mines, thank you for entrusting me to care of your beautiful daughter._" Kevin responded in Japanese. Grant just smiled.

"Well, your parents and I were trying to think of what would be a good wedding present, and we decided to club together on this." Grant informed him, handing over an envelope as Baron and Michelle came across. Kevin opened the envelope, and his eyes grew wide. He showed the contents to Mia.

"Rio?" She shrieked. Baron just nodded.

"Well, if you are planning on going there in a few years, we thought you might like to get to know the place a little." Baron said to his son.

"These tickets say...you're sending us for a month?" Mia asked them.

"We thought it would be a nice honeymoon for you." Sadie told her daughter. "Your apartment will be ready by then."

"I...this is...thank you!" Kevin stammered, unable to believe the gift they had been given. Emily started waving frantically.

"Mia, you forgot something!" Emily told her. "You forgot to throw the bouquet!"

"Oh...I guess I did." Mia answered, picking up the bouquet. Taking off a garter, she handed it to Kevin. "OK, Brenda and Ji are married, all our parents are married...I guess that just leaves Serena, Emily and Lauren single."

Serena and Emily prepared to catch. They looked around for Lauren, but she was far too busy with her search through her matches on the dating site. Mia just shrugged as Lauren waved off her third attempt to call her up.

"OK, I guess it's just you two then." Mia stated, turning her back to Emily and Serena. She threw the bouquet over her shoulder, which Emily reached for, only to end up face-planting onto the carpet. She looked around, seemingly annoyed as Serena ended up with the bouquet.

"Someone tripped me!" She protested.

"Emily, we all know you're..."

"No, someone really tripped me!" She said, sitting cross-legged on the floor, her arms crossed over her chest in defiance. "I felt something on my ankle, someone tripped me on purpose!"

"I'm sure you're imagining things." Baron said, resting on a nearby chair, adjusting his grip on his cane. "I guess it's time for the guys' turn."

"OK, Mike, Terry, Jayden, Antonio, Alano and Parry are all single." Kevin called out, showing them the garter. They all got onto the floor, once Emily finally agreed to get up and leave the path clear. After all, just because she didn't get the bouquet didn't mean Mike wouldn't get the garter. She wasn't sure which one had priority, but she sincerely doubted it would mean Mike would marry Serena if he caught it.

Kevin launched the garter into the air, at which there was a small scramble. Alano, Parry, Jayden and Antonio all grabbed Mike, restraining him so he couldn't try to catch the garter, which sailed neatly into Terry's hands. Terry looked up with the garter in his hands.

"Um...Mike, you..."

"It doesn't work like that." Sadie interrupted him. "You caught it, that means you're next."

"That's not fair!" Mike said with a sulk. "They grabbed me!"

"I guess that means that you and Emily will be waiting for a while." Ava teased him. "After all, Serena's first, the bouquet said so."

"And the garter said Terry's first too." Sadie reminded them. Serena and Terry looked up, hearing a creaking, and saw that some mistletoe had been grown over their heads. Looking to Mike, he held his hand up showing he didn't have his Samuraizer. Parry just laughed, showing them the offending Samuraizer. It took a moment, but finally the penny dropped.

"Who told you?" Serena demanded. "Mike!"

"I didn't say anything, I swear!" He shrieked in panic. Emily just ran, cowering in his arms. Terry looked to Mia who shook her head.

"Kids really do think their parents are dumb don't they?" Sadie asked Ava. Ava just chuckled.

"Please, do you really think we wouldn't figure it out?" She asked Serena.

"You knew?" Serena asked her. Ava just hugged her daughter.

"Some people live their entire lives and aren't lucky enough to find someone that makes them happy." Ava told Serena. "Very few are lucky enough to find that twice. I couldn't be happier for you."

"Mom?" Terry asked. Sadie gave a deep sigh.

"Why you thought you had to keep the fact you're in a relationship a secret is a mystery to me Terry." She stated. "You might not have been together long, and I may not think moving in together is the best idea, but you are both adults. I can't very well tell you what to do. If you're both sure this is what you want, then I guess I'm happy for you too. Serena's a lovely girl."

"So, you already knew?" Serena asked. Sadie and Ava just looked to Parry, at which the three of them just laughed.

"It was so cute seeing you sneaking around." Parry conceded. "It was almost too good to spoil, but we couldn't resist."

"But...they caught the garter and the bouquet!" Emily protested. "You mean all that...messing things up for Mike and I was a joke?"

"Here squirt, take it." Serena answered, tossing her the bouquet and looking to Terry. "I don't need it yet."

"Yeah, it might be a bit early for all that." Terry agreed, handing Mike the garter as he took Serena in his arms. "For now, I guess I'm just glad we don't have to hide anymore."

As they kissed, Emily looked to Mike.

"So...these are second-hand." Emily said, slightly morosely. "Do you suppose that still counts?"

"It still counts." Mike answered, holding her tightly. "At least, I'm counting it."

"In that case, I guess I'm counting it too." Emily replied.


	10. Lauren's First Date

Lauren woke up, on what was the Rangers' third-to-last night in the hotel. Although everyone loved the festivities, and the parents especially loved being part of their kids' lives again, the fact was that it was always going to end. They would all eventually move on, and even though they would keep in touch, they would also be living separately.

It was yet another reason why Lauren was starting to obsess over her newest mission, to find a guy who would put up with all her...eccentricities. She had, like many others, given a little thought to one day having a relationship with a guy, having kids, settling down, all that kind of stuff, but being surrounded for so long by all the happy coupled kind of thrust it into her face. Only Parry was single, being a widower, and while he wasn't a particularly unattractive guy, Lauren just shuddered at the thought. He was one of her dad's friends, and she had no desire at all to date someone that made her think of her dad any time she looked at him.

Getting up and pulling on a jersey, she checked the updates on her profile on her laptop. Pulling on her jersey to hide the patchwork mess of scars on her body, she noticed something odd. Under the heading "mail", the number 0 had turned to a 1.

She opened the message, and started to read it.

"Hello, I'm not sure how this is meant to go, but I read your profile, and I really want to meet you." The e-mail began. "Would you like to meet up somewhere?"

Lauren wasn't sure in the slightest, she had heard that these sites had certain...issues...with some of the people that used them, but in the end, she also appreciated that she wasn't exactly the best judge of what was considered "normal". In the end though, she had one thing going for her. She was a Ranger. She'd faced off against Nighlock, some of the most powerful monsters in the world. If the worst came to the worst, it wasn't like some guy would get the drop on her. She typed in a response, and sent the message, before getting her jacket.

A couple of hours later, she was in Panorama City. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, or what she was doing, but she figured she'd give this dating thing a chance. Even though she was confident she could handle herself, she did make one concession; she had gone somewhere she would feel comfortable, she had gone to the coffee shop.

She was slightly disappointed by the fact Jeremy didn't seem to be working on that day. She had suggested this as somewhere to meet her 'date', so that there would be someone she knew and trusted watching. She didn't understand it, but she was truly disappointed that Jeremy wasn't there, though that said, she also for some reason was glad he couldn't see her meeting up with another guy.

"Lauren?" A guy asked as he came in, seeing her. She just nodded in response. The guys profile page didn't have a photo, so he already had an advantage. He knew what she looked like, but she didn't know what he looked like. She could only presume that since he seemed to know who she was, that this was the guy she was here to meet.

"William?" She offered. The guy just smiled.

"Everyone calls me Bill." He corrected her, taking a seat. He was taller than Lauren, and a fair bit heavier, being slightly north of what people would consider healthy on the height/weight scale. He had soft, brown hair that was styled expertly, and bright green eyes. He took a seat.

"OK, so um...this is all kind of new to me." Lauren conceded, deciding that being honest was probably the only way to go.

"How about I order us both a coffee?" He asked her. As he flicked a thumb in the direction of the counter, she noticed the girl behind it rolling her eyes.

"Um...hot chocolate." Lauren stated. He just went to the counter, but getting there, Lauren noticed something. Jeremy arrived, hanging up his jacket.

"OK Jaquie, sorry I'm late." He grumbled. "My car was acting up..."

"What do you expect if you drive in a fifteen year old Ford POS?" She asked him, looking to Bill. "Jeremy here will take your order, my shift finished half an hour ago!"

Lauren couldn't explain how she felt, the last thing going through her mind were any words that made any form of sense. Seeing him put on his apron, she was glad Jeremy was there, but she felt like something was pressing in on her chest, crushing her slowly. She was there with Bill, to meet him and see how it went.

"OK, one Cappuccino and one..."

"It's OK, she's a regular." Jeremy stated, seeing Lauren, but she could see a strange look in his eye as he sized up the meeting. It was almost like for some reason he was disappointed. "I know her order."

Bill came back to the table and sat down, waiting for Jeremy to make up their order. Lauren just looked to him a little nervously.

"So...um...your profile said you work in City Hall?" She offered. He just nodded.

"I'm the Mayor's personal Aide." He informed her. "The hours are long, so I don't get much time to date."

"That's why you use the dating site?" Lauren asked. He just nodded his head.

"I guess it's probably why you do too." He answered. "I mean, you're a bit of a looker, why else would you need to use a dating website?"

Lauren didn't answer, she didn't know how to. It wasn't like she had any idea how these things were meant to go. As Jeremy put down the two cups, and Bill picked up his cappuccino, a slight glint of gold caught her eye. He was wearing a wedding ring.

"Um...so you're recently divorced?" Lauren asked, gesturing to the ring. Bill just sniggered.

"Yeah, right..." He answered twisting his ring off and putting it in the pocket of his jacket. "Usually I remember to take that off when I do this."

"Do...what?" Lauren asked him. Bill put a key down on the table.

"Look, we're both adults, we know how this works." He told her. "Meet me at the hotel down the street in twenty minutes..."

"OK, I think we have really different ideas about what's happening here." Lauren told him, getting up. Bill grabbed her wrist.

"Look, I use that site because my frigid bitch of a wife stopped putting out!" He told her. "Now, I have her, I have kids, but I have certain needs..."

"Get your hand off me." Lauren told him, interrupting his rant. Bill stood up.

"Look, you're an attractive woman, and you use those sites, so clearly you're looking for something the local bar scene won't provide." He whispered. Lauren just looked straight into his eyes.

"You have two choices, you can take your hand off me, or I can MAKE you take your hand off me." She put down with authority. Bill just smirked.

"Oh, and what...?"

Lauren grabbed his wrist and spun around, twisting his arm before driving her foot hard into his crotch. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she forced Bill to his knees as his breath left him.

"I could break your arm without even thinking about it." Lauren warned him.

"Let me go!" He wheezed nauseously. Lauren just shoved him away, before pointing to the door as he looked up at her, looking decidedly ill.

"I think the date's over." She told him. Bill picked up his case and left. Jeremy just watched him go, before looking back to Lauren.

"Wow...that um...that is probably going to go in the record books as the worst date in history." He told her. Lauren just shrugged.

"He's married." She answered. "Why is he even using those sites?"

"I guess some guys don't know when they have it good, and feel like they need a little on the side." Jeremy offered as an explanation. Lauren picked up Bill's cappuccino and put it on the counter as she picked up her hot chocolate and took a sip.

"I am so going to kick Mike's ass for this." She told Jeremy. "This was his genius idea."

"What was?" Jeremy asked her. Lauren just looked at him.

"I...I guess it's my fault." She sighed. "I kind of asked my friends to help set me up with someone."

"So...you're using dating websites?" Jeremy asked her. She just forced a little, derisive laugh as she brushed some hair out of her face.

"I know, it's silly and..."

"Just remember, not everyone's like that asshole." Jeremy reminded her. "I see him hook up with about four or five girls a week in here."

"Really?" Lauren asked, becoming a little self-conscious. He had obviously intended for her to be his latest 'conquest' of this kind. She didn't know why in particular it bothered her that Jeremy had seen the fact she was Bill's date. Jeremy picked up the cappuccino and took a sip.

"So, why are you using those sites anyway?" He asked her. "I'm sure there are guys cuing round the city to go out with you."

"Yeah, if that's true they're hiding really well." Lauren told him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of...different."

"The world would be boring if everyone was the same." Jeremy answered. "So...I've already made these anyway, It would be a shame to waste them. Consider it a New Year's gift."

"You keep giving out these gifts and you'll never get out of debt." Lauren said with a little laugh. Jeremy just shrugged.

"It's not my coffee." He reminded her as he took another sip of coffee. "So...what site are you using again?"

Lauren eventually got back to the hotel, where everyone was preparing for The Bells. Emily came to her and smiled.

"You've been gone a while." She stated. "Where have you been?"

"I met one of my matches." Lauren told her.

"So...what happened?" Emily asked.

"I kicked him in the nuts." Lauren replied, heading to her room. Emily just watched her go, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Um...did Lauren just say she kicked some guy in the nuts?" Mike asked her. Emily just nodded.

"I think this might be a little harder than we first thought." Emily answered.

The rest of the night went by with relatively little drama. Lauren had to put up with all the couples at Christmas, but she was starting to really regret offering to put everyone up for New Year as well. She understood there was something of a tradition about a kiss at midnight, and although it had never bothered her before, now she was really starting to feel left out. Mike would have Emily, Mia would have Kevin...Baron and Michelle, Ava and Martin, Grant and Sadie...it seemed like everything was there to remind her of the fact she didn't have someone to share the New Year with.

Checking the laptop one more time, hardly knowing the reason why, she saw that there were another dozen responses to her ad. She opened the first.

"Hey, you're cute, and I'm into Karate too." The first response stated. "Shall we meet...?"

Lauren deleted it without a second thought. She read through a few others.

"Are you sure you're straight? You're too cute..."

Deleted.

"My mom wants me to meet a girl..."

Deleted.

"You and me, the Springburn Motel..."

Deleted! What kind of world was she living in? It seemed like everyone only wanted sex! She...kind of understood why, she knew enough about sex to understand that it was a pleasurable experience most times, but she didn't get why it was such a big thing for everyone.

She got to the last e-mail, and opened it, finding it belonged to a new member of the site. There was no picture, and very little information on his profile.

"Meet me at the coffee shop at nine." Was all it said.

"Lauren, Mike told me about today." Jayden said as he came over to her. "Apparently you kicked some guy in the nuts?"

"He deserved it." Lauren put down flatly. Jayden just stroked the bridge of his nose.

"Lauren, I know this is hard..."

"He was married and he just wanted to pick me up for...well...you get the idea." Lauren informed him. "He was lucky; I could have broken every bone in his arm if I wanted to."

"Lauren...Emily explained." Jayden told her. "You..."

"Jayden, you've got everything sewn up, I get it!" Lauren told him. "You're lucky enough to have found Antonio, forgive me if it's just taking me a little longer!"

As he just shook his head and left, Lauren regretted her tantrum. She knew there was a lot of things most people just took for granted she genuinely didn't understand. It was one of the reasons she found it so hard relating to the team that had, if anything, done nothing but try and accept her. She simply had no idea why things had to be so difficult.

As she was about to close down the laptop though, she saw another mail had been sent. Although she was considering just deleting it and not even bothering to read it, she opened it out of morbid curiosity, and nothing more.


	11. Lauren's Mystery Date

Lauren couldn't help feeling like it was probably a waste of time, but eventually Emily had convinced her to give the dating website at least one last chance. It wasn't like she had a whole lot to lose.

Once again, she had agreed to the coffee shop as the venue for her date, thinking that at least it was somewhere she was familiar with. Coming into the coffee shop, she saw Jeremy standing at the counter, with a book in his hand as always. He smiled as he saw her.

"You're back." He commented. "I hope you're not planning on assaulting any more of my regulars."

"It depends if any of them behave like idiots." She answered with a nervous little laugh. "I'm meant to be meeting someone here, but he doesn't seem to be here yet."

"Well, feel free to have a coffee while you wait." He replied. "I'll get your order."

Time went by, and minutes melted away as Lauren waited for the guy she was in the cafe to meet. She didn't have a photo to work with, no idea who this guy was, so it was up to him to find her. She looked up to the clock, and sighed, realising she had been there for nearly two hours with no sign of her date.

"Perfect." She grumbled. A waitress came in, looking to Jeremy apologetically.

"Sorry I'm late; the queue at the post office was insane!" She told him.

"Well, I guess I was late yesterday." He conceded as he took off his apron. "You're here now Jacqui, that's the important thing."

He rounded the counter, at which Lauren noticed that he was carrying a rose. That was the signal; the guy who e-mailed her had said that he would be carrying a rose. As Jeremy came over and sat down, she felt incredibly warm, and was sure her face had to be the same shade as her uniform.

"Sorry I'm late." Jeremy apologised. "My shift was meant to finish ages ago."

"You're the one that messaged me?" Lauren asked him. He just nodded.

"You told me the name of the site you're using." He reminded her. So...would you like to go for dinner?"

"That sounds pretty much perfect." Lauren answered. She always felt good around Jeremy. It was like she was queasy, but it felt good at the same time. She remembered her discussion with Emily about what she was looking for in a guy. Jeremy seemed to tick a lot of the right boxes. He was kind, smart, thoughtful...and he was pretty good looking too.

"I know a good Italian place." He informed her. "I think I spend enough time in this place."

Lauren went with him, more than a little pleased by this turn of events. She had been ready to give up on the whole dating scene, and she made a mental note to thank Emily for convincing her to try again.

Back at the hotel, everyone was starting to pack up their things. They were due to check out and go their separate ways on New Years' day. Although they'd all had a great time, they were all excited for their new lives. Emily and Mike had their new farm, Mia and Kevin were heading to the airport in the morning to go on honeymoon, Even Jayden and Antonio had a lot to think about, with Antonio's new restaurant still in the planning stages.

Emily fastened the padlock on her case, with a little smile on her face. She still had a wedding to plan, and the following day, she was going to be in her new home with Mike. He looked to her and smiled.

"When this all started two years ago, did you ever think we'd end up here?" Mike asked her. Emily just shook her head.

"I was just hoping not to screw up too badly." She admitted. "I wouldn't change a single thing, not even any of the bad stuff."

"Me either." He assured her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Mike." She answered him, hugging him tightly. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." He answered.

After dinner, Jeremy and Lauren talked until the waiters politely asked them to leave at close to 10 PM. Jeremy knew that Lauren wanted to be back at the hotel in time for midnight, and walked with her, trying to flag down a cab. It turned out that New Years' Eve was not the easiest night to try and hail a cab.

"Looking for a cab?" Someone said. Jeremy looked around, seeing a large group of guys approaching them. Lauren grabbed his arm tightly.

"Um...yeah." Jeremy answered.

"Well, I guess that means you have money then." He answered, pulling out a flick knife. "Alright, wallets and jewellery."

"Sorry about this, I was hoping this would be a good night." He told Lauren. He held out his hand, at which she handed over her wallet. These guys were nothing, nobodies. She had faced off against some of the strongest and most vicious monsters the Netherworld had to offer. With Jeremy there though, she didn't want to take any chances. She just handed him her wallet, and watched as he took out his own, and took off his watch, handing them over.

"We don't want any trouble." He stated. "Here."

Lauren didn't know how to feel. She was a little put out by the fact that she had just been mugged, and she couldn't even risk fighting back. She felt a hand on her forearm.

"Well, now we have the cash, time for a little fun." He stated. Before Lauren could move however, the guy hit the ground unconscious. She found to her surprise that Jeremy was ploughing through the attackers, putting them down with incredible ferocity. Before long, they all took to heel and ran away, leaving the wallets in their wake. Jeremy picked them up, handing Lauren's back to her.

"That...that was..."

"Panorama University Middleweight Boxing Champion 2008-2010." He informed her, shaking out his hands. "Got to admits, it kind of hurts without gloves though. Are you OK?"

"N...n...no one's ever stood up for me like that before." Lauren stammered. Jeremy just smiled.

"Well, it's not like I make a habit of solving my problems with my fists." He admitted. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine." Lauren assured him.

"Well, it looks like we're out of luck with taxis." He sighed. "If we start walking now, we'll be back at the hotel in time for the Bells."

"But...that means you'll miss out." She commented. Jeremy just shrugged.

"I didn't have any plans anyway." He informed her. Lauren just smiled.

"Well, you could join us." She suggested. "I'm sure the others wouldn't mind."

"Well, that sure beats the heck out of anything I had planned." He answered, offering her an arm. Lauren took it as they started to make their way back to the hotel. Although the mugging wasn't the best way to end the date, it did show her one thing. Jeremy didn't know about her past as a Ranger. He had no reason to stand up for her, and he had risked his own neck to stand up for her when he had no reason to do so. She pulled in more closely as they walked. Maybe, just maybe, he was the guy she was looking for.

**A/N: **A short chapter, just to carry us through Hogmanay. Happy New Year, and don't worry, there will be more from the Samurai soon enough.


	12. The Holiday's Over

The holiday was over, and the Rangers and their families were all preparing to go home. After breakfast, Lauren finished piling the last of their dishes in the kitchen, while everyone else gathered their luggage in the hall. Jeremy had slept on a couch in the lobby, being unable to get a cab after midnight.

Mia and Kevin were particularly excited. While the others were heading to their new homes, they were about to go to the airport, on their way to Rio for their honeymoon. Mia was still a little giddy, not quite believing that her married life had truly begun.

As Lauren finished ensuring that she had left the hotel in a decent state for the staff, who would be returning soon to clean up before re-opening for business, Jayden came up to her.

"Kevin and Mia are about to go." He told her. Lauren nodded in understanding. It was the part of the whole event she had planned for the holidays she was dreading. It was almost over, and the first departures were about to go.

"I really wish we all had more time together." Lauren sighed. Jayden just shrugged.

"We'll keep in touch." He reminded her. "Besides, we all have new stuff to look forward to. It's not like we can just stay here forever."

"Well, we kind of could." Lauren told him. "Remember that the Shiba fortune basically means we'll never have to work again."

"Yeah, but we'd get bored if we just sat around and did nothing all day." Jayden answered. "Antonio's starting his restaurant, I'm learning guitar, hell, I'm even planning on taking a few college courses. I figured it was about time I learned to do something that doesn't involve fighting Nighlock."

"I guess that's an idea." Lauren agreed. "Maybe I should look into that. I'm sure Jeremy could recommend something."

"Ah, right, Jeremy." Jayden said, rolling his eyes. He had met Jeremy at the New Year's celebration, and while he had given him the benefit of the doubt, he still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Lauren dating. Lauren just gave him a hard glare.

"You leave him alone." She warned him.

"You did only just meet him." Jayden reminded her. "You hardly know him."

"Well, that's the point of dating isn't it?" Lauren asked in response. "Besides, I already have talked to him more than most people in this city."

"OK, I guess I'm just trying to get used to the idea of my sister dating." He admitted. "Just know, if he breaks your heart..."

"Just YOU remember if anything happens to Jeremy, I'll kick your butt all over the Shiba House." She warned him. "I am still the true Shogun."

"I guess I don't have too much to worry about then." He conceded. It still worried him to think about Lauren trusting her heart to anyone else. His own upbringing had been very sheltered, Lauren's had been even more sheltered. Relationships, even just friendships were still relatively new to her. He didn't want anything to happen to her, to see her hurt, but he just reminded himself that it wasn't as though she was helpless. He knew she would be able to protect herself.

"Guys, they're about to go." Antonio called from the door. Jayden and Lauren went with him, out to the lobby, where they were waiting.

"You guys have an amazing time!" Emily gushed, hugging Mia and Kevin, seemingly like she didn't want to let them go. "Take loads of pictures, and I want e-mails every day!"

"You do the same." Mia told her. "I want to hear all about this new farm."

"Don't worry about that, I'm really looking forward to it!" Mike assured them.

"Well, we'll just be a phone call away if you need help." Martin reminded them, putting his arm around Ava.

"We should probably get going soon if we're going to get through customs." Kevin reminded Mia. Baron and Michelle picked up their bags, taking them to their car.

"We should get going too." Ava reminded Emily. "We want to miss the traffic."

"Ji, you're welcome to stay at the house a little longer." Jayden reminded him. "You know...at least until you're back on your feet."

"Thank you, but I think it is for the best Terri gets used to her new home." Ji stated with a grin, cradling his daughter gently.

One by one, all the families left, until only Jayden Antonio and Lauren were left. Lauren just wanted to wait long enough for the staff of the hotel to return.

"OK, the linen is over by reception, and the dishes are in the kitchen." Lauren informed the manager, handing her an envelope filled with money. "This is for your trouble. Thanks for this."

The manager almost fell over as he looked inside, seeing the money. Hiring out an entire hotel for two weeks wasn't cheap, but Lauren had added a little extra, to thank the staff for the inconvenience of having to set up for new guests again.

"Well, this is incredibly generous." He commented. "We could possibly talk about setting up something for next year..."

"Hey, let's just recover from this year first." Lauren chuckled. "But if I feel like doing this again, I'll be in touch."

Handing back the keys, she, Jayden and Antonio left the hotel to head for home. Lauren had loved this time with the others. She had seen her father's old friends, she got a little more time with her new friends, and now with the Nighlock gone, she looked forward to what the future would bring. She was certain the world would have new adventures for her to explore.

Fin.

**A/N: **Happy New Year folks, no doubt there will be more stories in time. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the series, and I hope this short little chapter rounded out the story for you.


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